The Answer Is Out There
by Meridian1
Summary: The X-Files meets The Matrix...Mulder and Scully meet Neo and Trinity, 'nuf said
1. Chapter One

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
*NOTE* This cross-over takes place shortly after the X-Files movie...meaning that the X-Files have been reopened, but in this reality, Mulder and Scully still report to AD Skinner (and as it is a Matrix cross-over, I may change things as I will...after all, it's not even real...) 

Ch. 1 

"This is it?" Mulder looked down at the thin file in his hands. It had to be a joke. He hadn't ever seen a file this depleted. The FBI might be behind on some of the latest information, but it never skimped on paperwork. From behind his desk, Assistant Director Skinner sighed and crossed his arms. 

"You have your assignment, Agent Mulder. I expect you to dedicate all the effort that is required to solve this case." 

"May I ask why we are being assigned this particular case, sir? This is not an X-File." Mulder picked at the sticker on the folder that gave the case number. On the side index tab, the label had a name, which in no way told him anything about the meager contents inside. 

"Agent Mulder, I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but I'm going to remind you that you have stepped on plenty of toes since you first started working on the X-Files. Currently, you are assigned to that area on a hope and a prayer, nothing more. This case could change that." Skinner tapped his pen on the desk while Mulder opened the file. Inside, there were color copies of photos and copies of records with certain sections blacked out. Basically, it was a detailed list of the crimes and behaviors attributed to the focus of the study. There wasn't anything special about the file, so far as he could tell. 

Yet Skinner seemed adamant. Behind his forced mask of stern authority, Skinner's eyes betrayed everything. This was a blessing in disguise, and he wasn't hiding that fact from Mulder. Somehow, the subject of this case was an even bigger pain to the men upstairs than he was. 'This could really help then,' Mulder thought it over. 

"May I ask where this file originated, sir? I would like to know how it pertains to my specific areas of expertise." Skinner was visibly relieved as he sensed that Mulder would not refuse this case. 

"Agent Mulder, I'll have you know that file came to me directly from the director. Off the record, I can tell you it may have originated from NSA offices." 

"Why would the National Security Agency send the FBI anything?" 

"As the director explained it to me, the NSA is looking for the best profiler we have to give them an insight into this man's crimes. You are the best, and you have some experience with this man's particular crimes. They are of an unusual nature. Who else would I send it to?" Mulder nodded as Skinner waved him off. As he left the Assistant Director's office, he read the name on the file. 

Anderson, Thomas A. 

************** 

"Unauthorized access violations in three major United States' computer systems, illegal reproduction of official documents, tampering with sensitive national and state records, and then there's one charge of income tax evasion. Interesting list, Mulder. This man is accused of cyber-terrorism, and then, out of nowhere, the government throws in tax evasion." 

"It worked on Al Capone, remember? Maybe they just wanted to be sure that if the other stuff didn't stick that they at least had him on the taxes. Why wait, am I right?" He smiled over at his partner. Despite the flexibility that Dana Scully had acquired over the years, she still sneered at what she considered a bullshit assignment. Not liking or believing in Mulder's bizarre theories was not enough for her to dismiss her work on the X-Files. Ridicule and danger had dogged their every step as it was, and the last thing she needed or wanted was a case that patronized the revelations that she and Mulder had uncovered over the years. 

This was a clear case of a 'pat-on-the-head' assignment. There could be no other reason that the NSA, if, as Skinner had implied in his talk to Mulder, if the NSA were indeed involved, would send the case file to the FBI. Some unspoken rule existed in the government's law-enforcement bureaus. One agency never shared information with another, not unless it was deemed necessary, and to be so noted, it would have to be approved by the highest authority of the agency sharing the information. The NSA never shared with the CIA; the DEA only cooperated with the FBI to the point of using the FBI crime laboratory. Each agency had its own councils, lawyers, agents, and secretaries. Even the lowest level employees did not converse with one another. As far as she knew, they didn't even have lunch in the same restaurants, let alone pass along sensitive information. 

So, the voluntary sharing of information raised more than one alarm in Scully's mind. Mulder had accepted the assignment with his usual resistance, but something had convinced him to pick up the case. Instead of reading his psychological profile on their subject, she preferred to hear him talk about the case while on the road. Currently, they were stuck in traffic, heading from O'Hare International to downtown Chicago. The hour plus they had spent meant there could only be an hour more, but that would still be plenty of time to garner the details. 

"Okay, so this guy is some hacker punk. This doesn't fall under our jurisdiction, Mulder. There isn't much here to suggest this guy is anything more than a disgruntled postal worker with too much time on his hands. Why did you actually let Skinner talk you into this?" A whimsical smile twitched on her partner's lips. This was a sure sign he intended to tell her exactly why he had accepted the case. 

"Okay, so I confess already!" Mulder threw his hands up, earning him a smirk from Scully. "I had Frohike do some research on the side before I made the decision on this." Scully groaned. If Frohike knew about the case then so did the other self-titled "Lone Gunmen". It just made it worse that Frohike was most involved as he had a crush on her. Mulder laughed at her reaction. 

"So, was it Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster?" 

"Hey, be fair, after all, Frohike found enough to interest me. So, are you dying to hear what he found?" 

"No, but as the traffic won't allow me to escape that particular madman's theories, go ahead." Mulder smiled and continued. 

"Frohike has a friend who says he's heard of this guy. He uses an alias that is actually mentioned in our report. That surprised the hell out of me when I saw how thin it was." Scully ran her thumb along the edges of the pages and nodded. This file had to be the thinnest she had ever seen as well. 

"I read that. He uses the pseudonym 'Neo' right? That's who is actually credited with these crimes. This Thomas Anderson is only connected to that alias, and it's not even proved in this file that they are one and the same." 

"Well, I figure that's because several lines have been blacked out." Reaching over, Mulder flipped open the file to tap the black lines on their copy. "Whoever passed this to us blacked out some lines for a reason and then gave us a crappy copy." 

"So, for the Three Stooges' theories to work, I have to assume that Anderson is Neo?" 

"Right." Rolling her eyes, Scully nodded and waited for him to finish the story. "So, Frohike had a contact of his check up on Neo's activities. The guy couldn't find a trace. Not a thing. If this Neo guy was ever inside any of the agencies listed on that rap sheet, there's no trace of him." 

"He covered his tracks. Wouldn't you if you were a terrorist, Mulder? I don't see what that proves." 

"Think about it, Scully. If there is no record of this guy ever breaking into protected files, then how come we're here on our way to track him down? If he's so good, how come there is a record of his crimes?" 

"Like I said, he covered his actions well, that's all." Another sigh struck her then. This type of obsessive behavior was so typical of her partner. It might take ten more times with her explaining the same things over and over before he considered her point. 

"Okay, I'll buy that. So, he was never there then?" Scully nodded slowly, but her head stopped moving as Mulder's point hit her. "I see you get my drift." 

"Oh my God, Mulder, if this guy hid what his crimes, if he covered himself that well, how does the government have a file on him?" 

"That's why we're on our way to Chicago...to find out." 

************** 

"Mr. Prescott? Agents Mulder and Scully. We're with the FBI. We're here to talk to you about your tenant in room 101?" The balding man standing in the doorway to the Superintendent's office lit a cigarette and took a long drag before he answered them. 

"Look, I already told you people I don't care what my tenants do on their own time, just so long as it don't do nothing to the room." Scully looked at Mulder helplessly, but his attention was focused on Prescott. 

"I'm sorry, did you say you had spoken to us before?" A clear look of disgust crossed the other man's face. 

"Not to you, no, but to the other guys." Rabid excitement radiated from Mulder in a recognizable reaction, one that Scully had seen countless times before, usually right before her partner jumped at one of his conspiracy theories. She knew she would have to intercede before Mulder could either scare or offend the Super. 

"Excuse me, sir, but could you be more specific? Did you get a name or, perhaps, the agency they represented?" 

"No, ma'am, I didn't get any agency names, but I guess they were FBI." 

"You guess?" Mulder's voice rose sharply enough to tear Prescott's ogling gaze away from Scully. 

"No offence, but you guys all look alike. I see you two show up, you say you're FBI, and you look just like those guys. So, I figure they were FBI too. You know, they wore suits, kinda like yours, uh, Agent..." 

"Mulder." His excitement was only growing. The instinct that had told him to stick with this case was twitching again. This case, like so many other official X-Files, was supporting his theories and revealing more hidden layers to the shadowy sub-government he knew existed. He had to fight the urge to shout with joy and satisfaction. Scully, on the other hand, groaned inwardly at the thought of yet another case leading back to the great brick wall that hid their enemy. For once, she would have loved to have a normal, old-fashioned monster or serial killer. 

"Mr. Prescott, would you be willing to come down to the local office and talk to a sketch artist?" Prescott shrugged, apparently indifferent, but Scully could detect a hint of agreement in the motion. 

"Sure, but they were only here for a short time. They came tearing up the hallway after the guy, didn't say much, and I never saw them come back down. I could really only tell you about the one guy that asked me to 'stand aside' like I was some yokel. He asked me a few questions while his partners tore ass up the stairs." 

"Did you get his name?" 

"Uh, Smithe? No, I'm sorry, it was, uh...Smith. That's it. Agent Smith." 

End of Chapter 1 


	2. Chapter Two

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
*NOTE* This cross-over takes place shortly after the X-Files movie...meaning that the X-Files have been reopened, but in this reality, Mulder and Scully still report to AD Skinner (and as it is a Matrix cross-over, I may change things as I will...after all, it's not even real...) 

Ch. 2 

"And that's it? Yes, thank you very much, goodbye." Scully switched off her phone. The local office had taken the superintendent's statement and had had him talk to a sketch artist. All that had been accomplished in ready order, a rarity in any government agency to be sure, but they still knew so little. The few details and added characters left new questions with no new answers. The familiar feeling of running into a dead end struck her as she watched Mulder scrounge around the reports, desperately searching for some overlooked clue. 

"So, what's the verdict from the Chicago bureau?" 

"You know the answer to that, Mulder. Find anything in there?" Mulder smiled and tossed the file up and over his head. Papers scattered all around the hotel bed as he collapsed back on it. Scully bent to retrieve the papers while Mulder rubbed his eyes and kicked the wall in sheer frustration. A minute after Scully had finished collecting the papers, someone knocked on their hotel suite. Mulder answered it and came back with two new files in his hands. 

"Faxes from the Chicago office." He mumbled as he dropped into the chair next to her. "So, let's see, hmm, Mr. Prescott's written statement, picture of our 'Agent Smith' care of their sketch artist, and...what the hell?" Scully looked up sharply as Mulder excitedly spread the papers for her to see. Held together by a paperclip, there were pages on their suspect. 

"Oh my God, Mulder, look at this. Arrest warrant, inventory of objects removed from suspect's apartment...where did all this come from?" They both read on in silence. The case file was still on the lean side, but it held more details than their file had. How was it possible that the federal file would have less than a city file? Scully couldn't believe that communication between federal and state agencies was this bad. Between federal bureaus, yes, but not state and federal. 

"So, we have a little more to go on, but it's still not much. I was kind of hoping that that was Frohike with more information from his computer intelligence...hacker...user guy." He rubbed his eyes, trying to soothe the sores from his glasses. On cue, another knock sounded. 

"If that's Frohike, I'm handing in my resignation now, Mulder." 

"But wouldn't that prove the existence of telepathy or at least prescience?" Mulder walked over to the door once more. Sure enough, behind the door stood Scully's least favorite Lone Gunman. Perhaps the only consolation was that he was not alone. Behind him, Byers and Langly shifted nervously, as was their wont when they actually left their dark cavern of a home. 

"It's a good thing for you that you got us involved. Wait 'til you see this," Frohike waved another manila folder as he passed Mulder heading right for the table to occupy the recently vacated chair next to Scully. Byers and Langly followed, but they were too busy fussing with the curtains and checking around for bugs. Even for them, the Lone Gunmen were acting rather paranoid. 

"What's the matter guys? You couldn't cash in all those coupons at the local McDonald's any more?" Scully watched bemused as they kept running around. 

"Honestly, if you wanted a free meal, you should join the Bureau. The hotel has room service." Mulder joined in Scully's obvious mirth. Despite having taking similar precautions once or twice in his own life, Mulder couldn't contain his amusement at seeing the trio triple-check the phone and the television. 

"I think we're okay." Byers and Langly hovered over Frohike as he opened the file for the two agents. "Take a look at this." The top sheet in the file had what looked like a transcript from a computer chat room. There was only one person talking, but aside from that, the printout had recorded several commands that another had entered. The conversation was entirely simple, one-sided, and just perfect for an X-File. Scully took the paper aside while the others scanned the rest of the contents. 

CONTACT INTIATED... 

Wake up, Neo... 

The Matrix has you... 

[Ctrl X] 

Follow the white rabbit. 

[Esc] 

Knock, knock, Neo. 

HOME COMPUTER SHUTDOWN 

Other than that short blurb, Scully couldn't make heads or tails of the garbled mixture of symbols and letters that preceded it. Not one of the four men in the room paid any attention to her confusion. 

"Hey, Scully, take a look at this." She dropped the paper and swept it aside to glance at the pages they had selected as important. The first sheet had a picture from a security camera. In the corner, there were digits to indicate the film had been taken a year ago and a glimpse of the company logo. The focus was blurry, but the logo was large enough for Scully to read. 'Metacortex'. 

"Look at this guy," Frohike pointed to the thinner man who was dressed in a suit of a slightly lighter color than those of the men leading him away. "That's your guy, right?" The agents nodded. It wasn't clear enough to be definite, but for all intents and purposes, the man in the picture was their suspect. 

"And look who else is there. Recognize this guy, Scully?" Mulder pointed to one of the men dressed in the black suits. Upon closer inspection, she did recognize him. 

"He looks just like his sketch. That is uncanny, Mulder. I've never seen anyone look that much like their picture, not ever." Mulder nodded as he scanned the photo. Taking the opportunity, Scully did the same, trying to pull from it the details anyone else should have missed. Their suspect, Anderson, looked frightened. Fear and apprehension were written in his stance; he appeared to be dragging his step, trying to hold out as much as he could without really fighting. The men holding him appeared curiously removed and uncaring about their charge. Scully took the photo as they moved on to the next piece of important evidence. 

"This was lifted from a police radio the same night as that printout you just read." The bulletin was in regards to the sighting of a violent criminal. A short list of the suspect's alleged crimes was given; the list included many of the same cyber-terrorist charges that Anderson had attributed to him, but this woman, known as 'Trinity', had crimes predating his by almost a decade. Also, there were murder charges, breaking and entering, and destruction of public property. The last few broadcasts told the officers heading to apprehend the criminal to use extreme caution in securing the perimeter, but under no circumstances were they to arrest the subject on their own. A specific order was given for them to wait until federal authorities arrived. 

"Federal authorities? Agent Smith, right?" The Lone Gunmen each nodded but at the mention of the name 'Smith' they each shuddered. "Well, did they get this person or not?" 

"Not, and it was more than just a miserable failure," Byers handed Scully a report that was sent through to a 911 operator. The caller was perfectly coherent, and he identified the injuries to the dispatcher in an orderly fashion. The transcript of the call placed it only fifteen minutes after the bulletin had gone out. The caller reported four officers down at Wabash and Lake. 

"Four officers? In less than fifteen minutes? What kind of artillery was this Trinity carrying?" To answer her question, Langly slid over another report, this one reading "CHICAGO CORONER'S REPORT" in bold letters at the top. There were four one-sheet pages giving a brief for the police records. Only one of the officers was shot; the other three had been killed, but the wounds were inflicted without weapons. 

"These three," Langly tapped the three reports, "were literally beaten to death. The funny thing is, two were dropped with broken necks after each one only received one blow. The third had his arm broken before having his neck snapped backwards." 

"Killer whiplash, that's the cause of death?" Mulder laughed, and Scully joined, but the Lone Gunmen only smiled, still nervous. 

"Well, essentially, yes. When they tell you guys not to try and arrest these people, do me a favor and listen, okay?" Langly managed to give a half-hearted laugh at his own joke. 

"Yeah, I'd hate to see a hot chick like Scully here all roughed up," Frohike winked at the object of his affection, to which Scully groaned. To change the subject, she shifted the papers to reveal the next document they had selected as most important. This was the complete rap sheet for Trinity. This one contained the Chicago SWAT team's report of a raid on a building in the downtown area where she and her fellow conspirators were discovered. Again, there were losses on the police's side, but this time, there was one suspect casualty, an unidentified young male. There was also a report detailing the capture of yet another terrorist and the summary turnover of said terrorist to higher authorities. There were no transfer papers for this criminal. 

"Is this the last time they have anything on this woman?" 

"No, I have some more security camera stuff that you may want to see. But believe me when I tell you, even for you Mulder, you won't believe it until you see it." A thick wad of pictures taken from a videotape was pulled out from under Byers' coat for the agents to flip through. The first photo was the first of several blows to rock them over the next few minutes. In the photo, Anderson was standing just inside of a metal detector, but that hadn't generated the shock; it was his posture, not to mention his outfit. The last picture of Anderson that Mulder and Scully had seen had portrayed him as scared; the new picture, being much clearer than the old, displayed none of that fear. Anderson held himself tall, almost cocky. His dark sunglasses hid his eyes, and the black trenchcoat spoke of a serious change in attitude. 

"Okay, watch this," Frohike took the photos, held them on one side, and flipped through them as fast as he was able. The pictures melted together into a jumpy but tangible flipbook. Scully watched in mute wonder as Anderson opened his trenchcoat to reveal the largest arsenal of weapons that she had ever seen carried on one man. The last pages left off showing Anderson knocking one guard down and pulling out two of his guns to finish off the rest. 

"Where did you get this?" 

"A guy I knew, and I can't say anything more. Not now anyway." Mulder's ears perked up at that. 

"What do you mean? Did something happen to him?" Mulder's usual excitement for this kind of lead was evident in his hurried tone. 

"Why do you think we're out here and not just sending this by wire?" Byers peered through a crack in the curtains while Frohike explained to the expectant agents. "He handed me these personally not twenty hours ago. All of ten hours ago, I found out he was dead. Don't ask any questions, I didn't. I think we know why he was killed." The Lone Gunmen nodded along with Mulder, but Scully could only sigh. 

"Must everything lead back to government conspiracies?" Instead of answering, they shoved more pictures under her nose. The next set of stills were taken only about every twenty seconds from what looked like a camera mounted over the doorway behind the metal detector that they had seen in the first set of stills. Over a period of less than five minutes, the pictures detailed the complete destruction of most of the support columns in the lobby. From the narrow scope, Scully was able to tell that the team of security personnel had been killed because the last photo taken showed two non-security, unscathed, black-clad figures entering the elevator. 

"How in the hell..." Scully whispered. The photos were enough to add more to their pile of questions, but one important connection had been formed. The previous reports of Trinity's crimes, the police bulletin, the coroner's report, all of them did have something to do with their subject. In the last photo, as the two disappeared behind chrome elevator doors, Scully could see their faces quite clearly. If the photo attached to the rap sheet was accurate, then the woman standing next to Anderson was Trinity. But how... 

"I know, right? How are they connected?" Scully looked up as she nodded to Langly. "Well, you saw the computer thing, right? Frohike's guy said that was a message sent to this guy's home computer and that the message was sent in the some weird way or something. Frohike said the guy was really freaked out about it." Langly turned to look at Frohike for his help. 

"This guy is elite, and he was freaking out when I saw him. I couldn't translate anything he said to you, but basically it was something outstanding. That's why he brought it to me personally." Frohike's tone was usually somber as he remembered his recently deceased contact. 

"So, the case is a little more complicated. What does Anderson's connection to this criminal have to do with our case? She's an accomplice, maybe even the one who got this guy into trouble in the first place. How does this help us find him?" 

"Well, technically, we don't have to find him." Mulder rubbed his forehead as the others turned to listen to this explanation. "Skinner said that the NSA handed this to the FBI for the purposes of attaining a better profile of this guy. We catch him, that's great, but it's not our highest priority, especially given this information. I think we should follow Langly's advice and not arrest this man." A new set of frowns went around the table. Mulder returned the frowns with a puzzled glance of his own. "What?" 

"Did you say the NSA handed you guys this one?" 

"Yeah, why?" Byers flipped through the files and pulled out a newspaper clipping detailing the attack on the building that they had just seen destroyed in the stills. The article was surprisingly brief considered the serious nature of the crime. 

"That building was under military control. Those SWAT-type guys were actually reserves in the armed forces. The article doesn't say what branch and not even Frohike's guy could find out. There would no way the military would give anything to the NSA." 

"Yeah, the military doesn't fraternize with the civilian agencies." Langly chuckled at Scully's quip, but Mulder's attention was locked on Byers almost as if he expected more. He was not disappointed, but the source was Frohike. 

"You're more right than you know. I could get into it, but we could be in serious trouble here, so I'll skip the details." Frohike nodded to Scully for emphasis, and she in turn said one quick prayer of thanks. "Basically, this is another case of the you-know-who's calling themselves whoever they needed to be in order to fool as many people as necessary to get the job done." 

"Well, this wouldn't be the first time the government has used the military to do their dirty work." Mulder sneered, his disgust shared by Scully. "So, the guys in the suits do work for the government, but why then do Anderson and Trinity go after this building? What connection do the suits have with this particular military building?" Byers glanced at his cohorts who each got up to check the window for themselves. 

"Sorry, Mulder, you're on your own here. We're getting out of here before whoever did give you that file finds us too." The Lone Gunmen disappeared with such celerity that neither Mulder nor Scully had any time to even utter a cry of surprise or protest. 

"What was that all about?" Mulder shook his head as he closed the door. 

"It doesn't matter right now. We have more information, and we can use it." 

"Have you come up with anything more for you profile?" 

"No, there isn't enough to give me a real clue as to this guy's motivation. I look at the pictures we have and the one from Metacortex, and I see one thing. Then I look at these," he waved a hand at the makeshift flipbook as he went on, "and I see and entirely different guy. Something big happened between those two photos, something major. There just isn't anything I can think of right now to justify this change." 

"I noticed." Scully tossed the original file from the home office on top of the new pile of additional information. "So, what's the plan?" 

"I was hoping you would figure that one out. I would, but I would hate to be accused of following a plan that would only support one of my crazy theories." Scully smiled, giving a slight, helpless nod. 

"Here's what I can figure, Mulder. We either hunt for the suspect and/or suspects, hunt for this Agent Smith and/or his cohorts, or we can go snooping around this building's ruins. I doubt the first two will lead us anywhere, but we'll be at the disadvantage of not having a forensics team with us if we opt for the third choice." 

"Then it's a manhunt, is it?" 

"I guess so, but I don't know how we would go about it." A peculiar smile crossed Mulder's face, a mischievous smile that Scully had seen too often to forget or ignore. He was about to suggest something about which she would be skeptical. 

"You saw how that girl was dressed, right?" She nodded, crossing her arms and waiting for him to drop the last bomb. "Well, then let's go shopping." 

"What?" 

"Tell me, Scully, do you wear a size ten or a size eight?" 

"Excuse me?" The grin on Mulder's face only spread. 

"We can't go into the clubs with this on." He flapped his suit coat. 

"Clubs? Mulder, what are you talking about? What clubs?" 

"Where else do you find men and women only wearing black leather?" 

End of Chapter 2 


	3. Chapter Three

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
Disclaimer: If anyone thinks I own any of these characters, you are very wrong and deserve all the shame in the world. I do not own the characters...I don't even make money from this...hey, I don't even have permission to write this! (and special note for this installment...I wrote the word "Microsoft" once..er..twice now, so Bill Gates is gonna kill me. That should encourage others to leave me alone, right?) 

Ch.3 

"So, you come here often?" A young man, who was obviously fond of his silver tongue ring, fingered the straw in Scully's drink. Dressed from head to toe in black leather, he was only the fifth to talk to her so far this evening. By this time, Scully was certain there had to be a sign on her back saying, "I'm looking for it". Her outfit was not encouraging their advances, not if black leather was the norm...and it was. Thankfully, Mulder had abandoned that horse. Instead, he had gone out in his jogging clothes, while she borrowed one of his blue-and-white striped dress shirts, rolled up to her elbows, over her white tee-shirt and khaki slacks. 

Yet despite sticking out like a sore thumb, Scully had been made to feel more welcome in the three bars she had visited than she normally felt at the home office. Granted, that didn't say much, but it was still surprising. The latest kid to hit on her had been making his overtures for about ten minutes before he finally spoke to her. She had been expecting something a little dirtier or even a little more original. 

"Not really. I was just looking for a friend of mine." A devilish grin crawled across the boy's face. Flicking his tongue out to caress its silver mutilation, he ordered a drink for himself. 

"I gather this ain't your kind of scene. Whatcha drinking by the way?" 

"Diet Pepsi." The edges of his lips drooped into a frown. 

"Not much for liquor, huh?" 

"No, it's just I can't find who I'm looking for if I'm piss drunk, you follow?" The hard edge of her voice was meant to encourage her new friend to leave, but the intended effect was lost on him. Instead if leaving, he actually sat on the stool next to her and leaned closer. 

"I could always offer my services. Maybe if you told me who you're looking for, I could ask my good buddy, Tony, here," he slapped the bartender on the shoulder as he took his drink. Scully glanced over her companion's shoulder to scan for her partner. Her eyes scoured the sea of black for the muted grays of Mulder's sweatshirt. 

In the farthest corner, near the bright red light of the EXIT sign, written in neon tubing, was her name. No one appeared to notice, not even the six or seven men and women all attached with leashes to a hook in the doorway beneath the sign. Still, the glowing, electric blue letters spelt out 'SCULLY', as clear as the music was loud. 

"See something you like? My name is Jon, by the by. Might I have yours?" Jon continued to flirt, and Scully was beginning to realize that she would have to return the favor for the time being, until she could locate and trade info with Mulder. 

"It's on the sign over there," she jerked her head slightly towards the door. Jon's moment of distraction served its purpose as she garnered another brief look around the club. Losing the objective of her search, namely, forgetting to look for Mulder, Scully's eyes rested on the various costumes the patrons donned. Some wore it tight, some wore it loose, but everyone wore leather, and most had some silver trimmings. A few spiked bands, metal corsets, silver brads all over, those were the only breaks in the monotonous display. Some looked the part of tough bikers or drug addicts; others only came off as pathetic wannabes, people rejected by everyone else and who had ended up in the 'underground' as a result. 

"You mean I can call you Exit? Not bad. Not great, but it's better than Jon." Scully couldn't fight the urge to whirl around in time. Doing just that, she nearly knocked both drinks from the bar and Jon from his seat. Her eyes lifted to just above the doorway. The neon sign was, indeed, gone. There were no marks to indicate it had ever existed. Jon's quick thinking saved their drinks, but he remained mute in surprise. Recovering her calm, Scully smiled through gritted teeth, spreading her lips wider in an inviting grin. Her admirer responded in kind, the incident instantly forgotten. 

"Sure, Exit, as you wish. Maybe you should think of a better name for yourself." A flash of excitement in his features said it all. This was a perfect topic, and one that he must have given considerable consideration over time. This way, she could keep up her surveillance while only listening marginally to anything he had to say. 

"You think so? See, I was thinking of introducing myself as Foist. It's a really interesting story, you see..." After hearing his ludicrous pseudonym, Scully let the music drown out his enthused tale. The wall directly above the doorway held her attention. The greenish-brown wallpaper had seen a few tours of duty. Scrapes and cuts, stains and crusted remnants of spilled material were visible. No matter how long she stared, there were still no signs of electric outlets, holes, or gas lines that might have supplied the sign, had it actually been there. 

"So, how about it? Foist? Call me Foist." A slight nod and 'Foist' smiled and pounded his fist on the bar. "Hot damn, I think she likes it." Although it felt dirty and unworthy of her, Scully gave Foist her best seductive smile. It had been a long time since she had used it, but it worked nonetheless. "So, how's about we make for a hasty..." he snickered into his hand sheepishly, "a hasty 'exit'? Exit, get it?" A sarcastic smirk was her only response. 

"Excuse me, but can I cut in, please?" Scully didn't even bother to turn her head. Mulder's voice was recognizable even with the distortion of the blaring music. A few muttered protests came from her other companion, but she assumed that he took the hint because a second later, he passed with a wink. 

"What is it about me, Mulder? I've been sitting here for an hour, and I sat at those other bars for hours, and still, the only people who approach me are the wannabe rebels, all of whom quit early to go home and get their real jollies playing with their computers." 

"What makes you say that?" Rolling her eyes and then closing them, Scully took a deep, sighing breath. 

"Well, most of these people have a particular fetish. Leather, for the most part..." 

"I hadn't noticed." Scully could picture Mulder's own smirk. Their partnership had allowed her to retain and save all of his common facial twitches in her memory. There was a smile for every joke, and a blank look for every other emotion. 

"It's just that that kid had to be no more than the legal age to drink, Mulder, if that. He probably used a fake ID anyway. I'm sure that in ten minutes, he'll head home, switch on his computer, talk dirty to someone he's never met, and get off on it, all the while hoping his parents don't walk in and discover how he's been spending his nights." 

"Something of a geek, was he?" 

"You could say that. If it weren't for our profiles so far, I'd say that description applied to most of the computer-types out there. Somehow, I just don't see my good friend 'Foist' blowing an entire squad of military reserves into kingdom come." 

"Foist? Interesting. How'd he come up with that?" 

"Uh," Scully tried to think back to the conversation. Soothing her forehead with her hand, she came up with the answer. "I think he said he was drunk one night and spent three hours rearranging the letters in 'Microsoft' until he had it." 

"Clever." 

"Not really." 

"No, no, admit it, that is pretty clever. He's managed to avoid the wrath of Bill Gates thus far, right? He must be doing something right." Scully chuckled, rubbing her sore eyes. This merciful break was already doing wonders for her dried eyes. With Mulder looking out for their subject, she could afford to take this rest. Leaning against the bar, Scully propped her elbows up and let her head hang back a little. 

"I don't know, Mulder. What would you call yourself if you were a computer freak?" 

"I am a computer freak, thank you very much." 

"I'm sorry, it's just I can't help but wonder where they come up with these names. Trinity? Neo? Ha! Do they sit there for hours with a dictionary, making lists that they read aloud until they like the sound of a particular word? Or does it have something to do with their hobbies?" 

"Well, mine just kind of came to me, but given the circumstances, I guess you might call it fate." Scully couldn't suppress her laughter. Her eyes fluttered open between spasms. The fit was so bad that it made her double over in mirth. 

"I've got to hear this," she gasped breathlessly, "what does fate have to do with anything? I didn't even know you had a computer identity." 

"I do, and I'm sure you know it. It wasn't until someone mentioned it that I gave it any thought, and it seemed like too much of a coincidence. Besides, I believe in fate now. Given the circumstances, I'd say there has to be a reason why my name is an anagram of 'One'." 

"What is your name anyway?" Fully recovered, Scully straightened to sit upright and look at her partner. Only her partner wasn't sitting next to her. 

"It's Neo, but you knew that." If her eyes could have fallen out of her head at any time, this was the moment. Scully's eyes were wide enough for that to be a possible problem. Speaking with Mulder's voice, sitting in the exact spot that she had pictured Mulder possessing, was Anderson. A light, knowing grin decorated his pale face. 

"Hello, Agent Scully." 

********************* 

_This is my type of assignment_, Mulder mused. The bar was full of young women dressed in barely existing leather outfits, and not one was shy about being ogled by others. What was truly impressing was the wide variety of leather accessories that could be found. Some wore basically leather bathing suits, others wore leather underwear, and the occasional patron wore a leather catsuit. Whoever supplied these people with their clothes had a limitless imagination. Mulder had no idea how anyone had been able to come up with that many variations using only black leather and silver accessories. 

So far, he had found the best location to stake out the bars was the bathroom. Half the people on line thought he was the janitor, and the other half figured he was just there to use the toilet. That way, he escaped questions and, over the course of the evening, had made close to a hundred bucks in tips. After one very generous and extremely drunk man handed him a twenty at the last bar, he had made a point to wipe down the sinks as soon as he entered the restroom. Tips had kept coming after that. 

Frequently, his mind would wander back to Scully, sitting at the bar. He had seen her take up position there at each stop, so he could safely assume she was there now. There was a little guilt in knowing that she probably had no idea where he was, but he couldn't leave to tell her now. As he saw it, Mulder figured the bathroom was a sure place to discover the suspect, if he was even here. And the coed bathrooms made for plenty of free...well, given the lack of clothing, peep shows. 

However, an hour of wiping down counters, mopping up some of the stalls, and avoiding the sharper edges of some costumes, Mulder had had enough. Taking his tips and stuffing them into his sweatpants pocket, he walked back into the main room. Distracted by the cage dancers, he paid Scully no attention. Since she made no effort to make any signs to him, he assumed she was all right. If there were a problem, she would signal him. 

The room was alive with people dancing, flirting, and flat-out screwing one another. It made for a lively atmosphere, if nothing else. Their suspect could easily slide through this club unnoticed. Everyone seemed oblivious to the actions of their neighbors. There was the added disadvantage that their suspect's description could have applied to anyone in the bar, which also meant that spying the suspect in the crowd would be even more difficult. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" A strong, seductive feminine voice whispered from behind him. Mulder started to turn, but a pair of hands suddenly reached out to hold his head in place. "Don't. It'll spoil the imagination." 

"You mean if I see you I may be disappointed? Is that it?" 

"More or less. Mind if I ask what you're doing here? Besides scamming the masses in the bathroom, that is." Mulder laughed, shaking his head. The hands on either side of his neck disappeared, but he made no attempt to turn around. 

"How'd you figure that out?" 

"Simple, you don't belong here. Even if I didn't know more, that much is obvious." The breath at his neck was closer; it gently tickled and shifted his hair. At the same time, Mulder tried to think of what to do next. Although it had been fun to ogle a little, he couldn't afford to be distracted any more than he was already. 

"Listen, uh, miss? I don't want to sound rude, but..." 

"I know, you're busy." A slight chill rippled through his body. She had spoken with such intimate understanding and knowing. Whatever she assumed was occupying his time, it was close enough of a parallel to the truth that it would suffice. But her voice still caused that shiver to run through him. The sensible explanation was that she knew nothing, but he had never settled for the sensible explanation. 

"How do you that? Maybe I was just trying to avoid having to talk with a strange woman. Doesn't that make more sense?" 

"First of all, more sense than what? And secondly, I know a lot more than you think, Agent Mulder." Hearing his name, Mulder spun around. Intent on storing every detail, in case of future emergency, Mulder dropped his gaze to the floor. Starting with the leather boots, he let his eyes slowly scroll upwards. Above the boots, his mysterious contact wore skin-tight, flawless black leather pants, which stretched across her perfect figure. Mulder's eyes jumped up to the matching tight jacket, then to her face. 

"Trinity." She smiled, giving him a slight nod. 

"Hello, Agent Mulder." 

********************* 

Later, neither of the agents could remember exactly what happened after they each realized whom they had just met. Scully could vaguely remember being in complete shock at the deception Anderson had employed, but the conversation and the ensuing events that she recalled were too fantastic to be real. 

"Don't move." In one quick gesture, Scully had her gun out of the holster on her back. Carefully concealing it by unrolling her sleeve, she kept the gun trained on the man in front of her. For his part, Anderson seemed unimpressed and even amused. 

"What are you going to do? Shoot me? Here? I think not. That's not why you're here." Not wavering in her aim for a moment, Scully did allow her arm to rest of her lap. The weapon was still trained on him, and he knew it, which she took to be an understanding. 

"I am placing you under arrest. Now, we can walk out of here, quietly, or I can scream 'FBI' and you can take your chances with a stampede if you try to run." Scully's whispered threat was barely audible, but he seemed to understand. At the mention of her screaming, she thought she saw him pale. 

"I wouldn't do that, Agent Scully. It will only put you in great danger." 

"I'm not afraid of you. I've dealt with killers before, Mr. Anderson, and lots of them had more power than you." His smile returned as she continued her attempt at menace. 

"Really? You mean your work on the isolated incidents of paranormal activity? I've heard a lot about that. I'm impressed. And the fact that you are still here is likewise impressive, in both the good and bad sense of the word." 

"What? What are you talking about?" 

"You've seen so much, yet you claim not to believe. That is a feat indeed. But you must believe, Agent Scully, or else you would have disappeared the moment I said who I was." 

"I don't have time to play games. I think we should leave now." Waving her gun towards the door, Scully stood to follow the gesture. To her surprise, Anderson stood as well, but he didn't start to walk. Instead, he waved at someone behind Scully. 

"I agree, but I think we need to make a deal first. I'd rather not be hauled in right now, especially by you. It would be a waste." 

"Oh? What makes you think I won't take you in?" 

"Because if you do, I may have to wound your partner, Agent Scully." A voice from behind answered the question as Mulder was shoved gently to her side. The agents shared a sideways glance; Scully nodded and dropped her arm to her side. Mulder looked quickly around, but not even the bartender paid them any attention. Anderson gestured to the exit, and the four left, the agents following him and Trinity behind them. 

Once outside, the agents were guided to a black car. Trinity motioned for them to get in the back seat, while she climbed into the driver's seat. Neo took the agents' weapons before he walked around to the passenger's side. All this took only a minute, and soon, the car was on its way. Having resigned himself only for the time being, Mulder had no hesitancy to probe their captors once the car had started. 

"So, I guess this is your way of saying you don't like people investigating you? If you ask me, I think your pathetic aping of mob tactics is sad and cliched." The pair in the front shared an amused look. 

"Really, Agent Mulder, is that what you think? That we're just here to kill you? Do you honestly believe we would risk such a public encounter simply to kill the two of you? And I thought Morpheus said this guy was smart." The last statement had been directed at Trinity, but Mulder stored the information. Morpheus was another piece of data to add to the burgeoning file on this man. 

"So, then why are we here, Thomas? I can call you Thomas, right?" Trinity chuckled as Anderson made a face. 

"Not unless you want me to change my mind about killing you. You can call me Neo, if it's all the same." 

"Fine then, Neo, I would like to know why you've taken us hostage." 

"Agent Mulder, do you believe in aliens?" 

"Excuse me?" 

"It's a relatively straight forward question." Mulder stared at Neo and said nothing. In all his years at the Bureau, Mulder had done too many psychological profiles for him to remember them all. In all those years, he had dealt with the criminally insane, the possessed, the elusive, the enigmatic, and even inhuman creatures. Not one of them defied a profile like this one man. The reserved woman in the front had more of a pattern than this guy, and he knew about as much about her as he did about Neo. Mulder decided to answer the question, hoping it might lead to more clues to unraveling this man. 

"Yes, but I just assumed you knew that. You seem to know a lot about me, which puts me at a disadvantage." 

"I know enough for the time being, Agent Mulder. I'm interested in finding out what I don't already know about you, though. Just to clarify, you do believe in aliens?" Mulder nodded. "Have you any proof that aliens either exist or have visited this planet?" Mulder shook his head. If this guy were after evidence, he'd come to the wrong person. 

"Listen, I can't help you. I've tried, we've both tried," he gestured to Scully. "But we can't fight the government. They've destroyed every lead and every piece of evidence. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but if you're out to prove the existence of aliens, this is not the right way to go about it." Neo chuckled and shook his head. Disappointment was evident in Mulder's face from Scully's point of view. She had seen that look before. This man was toying with him, and she couldn't stand it. 

"I know what you're doing, Neo. This is just sadistic. If you don't believe, fine, but must you torture my partner over this? What do you want?" 

"Agent Scully, I just want to see the difference between what you know and what you believe. It could be vitally important. I need to know what you are willing to accept and what you won't. Tell me then, since you object to my questions, what do you believe?" Mulder glanced at Scully and then answered for them both. 

"We have seen enough to understand the world is not as simple as people wish it to be." Neo turned a curiously attentive gaze on Mulder, nodding for him to continue. "I have seen aliens, Neo. I have seen monsters that not even Stephen King could have dreamt up. Monsters, monsters that have tried to kill both Scully and me only too frequently. I've met psychics, witches, cannibals, murderers, and ghosts, and I knew which ones were real. I have also seen the government step in and erase the evidence, cover up the tracks of killer insects, sterilize diseased areas, and kill witnesses. That is what I have seen. I believe what I've seen to be real." 

"Oh, yes? What reality are we talking about, Agent Mulder?" This time, both agents could only stare in utter confusion at their captors. Neo appeared to be waiting for them to continue, and Trinity didn't even shift in her seat at the question. 

"I don't understand the question." 

"Very well, let me put it to you another way." Neo rubbed his chin and scratched his head as he searched for the correct words. "What is real to you, Agent Mulder? Agent Scully? Is it what you have seen, or is it what you believe?" They didn't answer. "For instance, if you had never seen an alien, would you still believe in them?" 

"Yes." 

"No." Neo glanced between the two agents. Mulder gave Scully a surprised look, but they didn't speak. 

"Have you ever wondered how this government you speak of can cover all that up?" 

"They knew about it in the first place." Mulder muttered, and Scully agreed, shuddering as she remembered the men in suits that she had seen when she had been abducted. 

"Neo, I know that they knew. When I was abducted..." 

"Hold that thought, Agent Scully. I know what you're going to say. You know that the government either planned or allowed for your abduction, am I correct?" She nodded, but Neo shook his head. "Agent Scully, no one can know everything. I have the particulars on your abduction, and I'm telling you that there is no way for any independent body to have planned that." 

"What are you saying?" Scully shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Neo's words made sense, but at the same time, she feared the revelation he might spring upon her. 

"Any number of things could have happened. Duane Barry's car could have run out of gas, he could have been driven off the road; the cop that pulled him over could have had a partner. There are a million and one different ways that you could have escaped that ordeal. But did you? No. That's because you were never abducted. That whole trip you remember is just a dream within a dream...a memory altered, nothing more." 

"How would you know? Are you going to tell me now that you have been abducted too? Because if you haven't, there's no way you can possibly know what it's like..." 

"You can't remember where you last were...you don't know if the past few days were a dream, or if they were real and now is the dream. That's how it feels." Neo's voice dropped a register. His tone was somber and pained. His words shook her very foundation of sanity. That was exactly how it felt. 

"You were...?" 

"No, I wasn't abducted, and neither were you. What happened to you did happen to me, though. We have both had our memories tampered with by higher powers. In my case, what I remember could be classified as one of your X-Files." 

"But you are in our files." Scully blurted out before she realized what she had just revealed. Neo didn't seem impressed by her involuntary sharing of information. 

"I realize that. I have a criminal record. I have killed quite a few people and ruined some rather lovely public works in my time. That explains why you guys are in Chicago and snooping around. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you're looking for me. I knew the agents had a file on me, so it makes sense that the FBI does too." Again, Mulder and Scully fell silent. They couldn't figure out why he had made a distinction between agents and FBI. He spoke as if they were separate entities. 

"Agents?" Mulder glanced sideways at Neo, trying to puzzle out his meaning. "Does this have to do with Agent Smith?" Neo's lips tightened into a hard line. "It does, doesn't it? He arrested you, I've seen the pictures." The hardness in Neo's face fell away as pure shock replaced it. 

"What do you mean, 'pictures'? Why would there be pictures of that in your file?" 

"They weren't. A friend of mine had a friend look into it. We have the pictures of you being arrested. We have quite a bit on your friend too. And the file wasn't ours to begin with." This time, Scully was almost positive that Neo's color drained. He looked almost panicked at the idea of them not having their own file. 

"Who handed you this file?" 

"That is confide..." Mulder began, but he didn't finish as Neo cocked the gun he'd been holding. "Our supervisor tells us it came from the NSA." 

"That's bullshit." 

"That's what I thought too. There are entire segments blacked out, and the arresting officers..." 

"They're called agents." 

"Right, well, they're not mentioned. It's basically a rap sheet. The other information that my friend was able to pass on is much more illuminating, Neo. I was impressed with that attack you pulled off. I saw pictures of that too. I assume the military is after you as well?" Neo swallowed hard. "Can I ask a question now?" 

"Shoot." 

"Let's hope not," Mulder gave a dry, humorless laugh as he stared at the weapon in Neo's hand. "Why did those agents scare you? Who does Agent Smith work for?" The corner of Neo's mouth twitched, a smirk almost forming. 

"Agent Smith is no longer a problem. Those agents are more dangerous than those monsters you talked about. As for who they work for, I think you've had the opportunity to find out." 

"The secret government?" 

"Not exactly, but a 'rose by any other name...' as they say. Let's put it this way, Agent Mulder, they run everything you think is being run. And they very well may have given you that file. The important question is why. Care to share?" 

"I was told that we were to use all means necessary to either capture or eliminate you." Scully gave Mulder a furious look that was not altogether fraudulent. It was best to play along to this lie, but it wasn't far enough from the truth to suit her. If they did accomplish their task here, if they wrote a profile on Neo, it would most likely be used to those very ends. 

"Agent Mulder, I am telling you this once, and I will not repeat it. Do not fuck with me. I want to know why you specifically were given this file. If, as you say, the NSA gave you the file, there would have to be considerable cause to do so. The NSA can pull up more manpower than can the FBI, so your explanation is wrong. If it is really the agents who gave you that file, they would know that there is no way you will have any chance of succeeding, which also eliminates that explanation. Tell me why you are here, now." 

"We're supposed to come up with a working profile on you, Neo." Scully answered for her partner. The charade hadn't worked, so she saw no reason to keep clinging to it. Neo seemed satisfied with her answer. 

"Thank you, Agent Scully, that is much more helpful." Neo sounded like he had more to say, but he stopped as the car came to an abrupt halt. For the first time since getting in, the agents looked out the windows. Trinity killed the ignition and motioned for them to get out. Outside, there was nothing but cornfields next to signs giving directions to Rte. 80. 

"I'm sorry we have to leave you out here, but our alternate exit is only about a mile from here." Neo pointed down the road. "There is a gas station there. After we leave, you are welcome to head for it and call for a ride. Here," Neo reached into his pocket to come out with a cell phone. "They'll trace the call, so keep it short. The number for a cab company has been programmed into the auto-dial." 

"Turn around." Trinity did not ask; she dictated. The agents did as asked. From experience, they each expected the next command, and both placed their hands on their heads. They walked a short way into the corn until Trinity allowed them to stop and asked them to kneel. Neo came up behind her. Though they whispered, Mulder could hear the short conversation clearly as the wind carried the words. 

"They must be clear. They haven't disappeared yet, Trin." 

"True, but that's only because they're used to this, Neo. That and the agents seem to have a use for them. We should get out of here and talk to Morpheus." 

"Right." Neo walked over to the agents. "I am sorry about this. I hope next time we talk it will be a little more pleasant. Believe me, this isn't our style at all, but it was the best way I could think of to get to talk to you." He patted them on the shoulders for good measure. Scully held her breath. Despite his promise to allow them to go, she waited for the shot she was sure was coming. 

The only sound that rang out was the gunning of a car's engine and then a tremendous crash. Mulder jumped to his feet, grabbing Scully and pulling her with him. They ran back to the road, each hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of the retreating vehicle and to investigate the cause of the loud crash. As soon as they hit pavement again, they saw what had happened. The car had been driven straight into a street light. The impact was amazing. The two objects appeared fused together, almost as if there had always been a street lamp sticking out of the roof. More astonishing was that there was no broken glass or damage to the car. Just a street lamp accessory. Neo and Trinity were nowhere to be found. 

"What do we do now?" Scully looked helplessly at her partner. Mulder reached into his sweatpants to pull out the phone Neo had given them. Depressing the indents on the sides, Mulder nearly dropped the phone as the spring opened the phone. Scully watched him hit the auto-dial, but he stopped the call before it began to ring. 

"We should go to that gas station first, figure out where we are." She nodded, and they set off. The next fifteen minutes were spent reaching the station, phoning for a cab, and then just sitting around, trying to make sense of the past hours. 

By the time they reached Chicago, the entire experience had been warped by too much time spent thinking about it. Neither Mulder nor Scully could remember the exact details, but each knew that what had happened had been too preposterous for even them to comprehend. 

End of Chapter 3 


	4. Chapter Four

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
Disclaimer: Anyone you've heard of isn't mine. Since I can't make any money from them, legally, I'm not even going to try...no lawsuits, please. 

Ch.4 

"What do we do now, Mulder? This is just another X-File. These people know what they're doing." Scully rubbed her sore forehead. Mulder lay on his back, stretched diagonally across his double bed. Under him, a forest's worth of paper crinkled as he rolled off to lean against the foot of the bed. It had not been an easy week in the windy city. Their meeting with the subject of their mission three days ago had marked the end of the revelations. Mulder had run the name "Morpheus" through the FBI database and had contacted the head agent of the computer crimes division. So far, the database was sparse, and the CCD agent had yet to contact them. 

"Scully, do you think they handed this file to the wrong people?" 

"No, actually I am beginning to believe this is our type of case. You know, the type where we find out something amazing, which, of course, we can't explain, and then we are left grasping for evidence. Isn't that the norm these days? Why don't you just write a preliminary profile on him, Mulder? Then we can get out of here." Mulder regarded his partner with a look that mingled hurt, disappointment, and obstinacy. At once, Scully realized that he meant to pursue this case. 

"I can't write anything. I don't have enough to really pull together a coherent report. What I have to go on can only suffice to help us investigate. I think that's why we're really here." Scully pondered that idea for a moment. Neo had been the one who voiced the question, and now they were left looking for an answer. If they had been sent out to do more than just profile their subject, they deserved to know what that was, why they were selected to do it, and who had sent it to them. From that frustration, Scully moved onto another that buzzed around her head like a gnat. 

"Mulder, do you get the feeling that Neo and Trinity only showed up to humor us?" Mulder gave her a raised eyebrow instead of voicing his confusion. "They found us, at great personal risk, I might add. Then they up and disappear, letting us live to do what? Run around looking for them. I think they were toying with us. It's obvious that Anderson was amused at our assumptions about him. Why?" 

"Scully, I told you, I don't know that yet. I think we need to go after what we can actually get. I want to find out the connection they have to this 'Morpheus' character. I'm betting he's in the CCD's server somewhere. As soon as they get in touch with us..." Mulder was cut off by the phone. Scully picked it up and handed it to him a second later. 

"Mulder." Nodding his head, Mulder scratched down some notes and dictated a fax number to the agent on the other end. As soon as he had done so, his face contorted in surprise and anger. "No, that will not be necessary." Slowly, his face clouded with rage. Mulder never expressed much, but Scully had seen this mad frustration in him before. It usually boiled out when his control over a case was being undermined. Through gritted teeth, Mulder finished the call. "Yes, I understand. I'll see you in an hour, Agent...?" A pause. "I'll see you then, Agent Jones." Instead of hanging up the phone, Mulder threw it aside. 

"I'm guessing that wasn't good news." 

"Is it ever?" Mulder shook his head. "That was Agent Jones of the computer crimes division. He got our notice yesterday and summarily made arrangements to fly out to meet us. Says he's got our guy. Jesus, I hate this crap. Somehow, Agent Jones knows about our guy, but he claims that the file was marked dead after the suspect was reported terminated." 

"What?" Scully's jaw fell open as the latest strange development connected. "Dead? He's down in the CCD as deceased?" 

"That's the story from Agent Jones, who just called us from the road. He'll be here in ten minutes or less. I offered to pick him up, but he said 'it wasn't necessary'. Nice of him to at least call before showing up, though." Rifling through the papers, Mulder separated their official file from the additional information the Lone Gunmen had attained. 

"What if we left now, Mulder? We could try to attract Anderson's attention again and talk to him without another agent." No sooner had the words left her mouth then someone rapped at the door. Mulder shoved the loose pile under the motel bed and shuffled the original into order as Scully went to open the door. On the other side of the door stood a man dressed in a crisp suit that showed no signs of imperfection. The black pants appeared to have been taken right from the cleaners. They were pressed and unwrinkled. The collar on his pure white dress shirt was starched and rigid. The black tie was held in place by the buttoned coat and gold tie clip. In all, the effect was eerie for Scully. His image evoked memories of the men in suits who had been present at her abduction. For his part, Agent Jones remained immobile, staring back at Scully from behind dark sunglasses. 

"Agent Jones?" He nodded and entered as Scully stood aside to let him pass. As he did, his earpiece was clearly visible. Scully stared at the attachment with confusion. Mulder had said he was a member of the CCD, but the radio headpiece was only used in FBI sting or surveillance operations. Otherwise, that equipment was reserved to the secret service. Agent Jones made no attempt to explain or even address her apparent concerns. Mulder stood up and offered his hand, but the other agent only stared at it. 

"Fox Mulder. Agent Jones, I tried to explain to you over the phone that this is not a case for the CCD. I only requested the information to facilitate our job. We are not pursuing this subject on the charges listed in his file." 

"I am aware of that, Mr. Mulder. I am here to help you by providing the information in person. I have had several opportunities to meet Mr. Anderson, and it was judged that my knowledge would be of considerable importance to you." Scully locked eyes with Mulder. This man had actually met the suspect, but why hadn't he been interviewed? They passed the questions back and forth without words as Mulder invited Agent Jones to sit. 

"Excuse me, Agent Jones, but why didn't you come forward earlier? Are you aware that the file on our subject came from outside the bureau?" Agent Jones nodded. Scully felt a shiver tickle her spine at the move. The man was rigid, inhumanly so. At the same time, she couldn't erase a creeping feeling that she had seen this agent before...a feeling best labeled as déjà vu. 

"Mr. Mulder, I know who handed you that file." Both agents started at that admission. They waited for him to continue. "Mr. Mulder, I had that file sent to you. My partner and I wished to obtain a more removed opinion on the subject so that we might capture him successfully in the near future." The dripping of the faucet was a rushing geyser in the silence of the hotel room. This was it. The explanation that had never been provided. Scully was the first to recover. 

"Agent Jones, we were under the impression that the NSA had passed this file to the director. Why was it necessary for you to employ that deception?" Jones turned to Scully, waking new shivers in her muscles. 

"Ms. Scully, it is not relevant at this time. I can not provide you with any of that information. It might as well be said that I do not believe your help is necessary, but my colleague convinced me. I might also mention that such intervention has not worked before. I was instructed to come and give you any necessary details to aid in the completion of your profile on the subject. I am here to answer questions relevant to this man only, so that you may provide us with an insight into this man's motivation. Without such insight, he may never be caught. I believe you understand what that could imply?" 

"He'd commit more crimes." Scully droned. The agent's answers were too simple. Those sunglasses were covering something. Just then, it struck her as odd that Agent Jones had yet to remove his sunglasses. As Mulder set up to record the Q&A, Scully felt herself becoming more and more unnerved by those sunglasses. The déjà vu also gained ground in her mind. Thinking back to their file, Scully lighted upon the reason for the déjà vu; she had seen this man in some of the pictures that Frohike had provided. The suit, the sunglasses, even the tie clip were the same as those worn in the picture. This agent was one of the men who had been present upon the arrest of Anderson at his office. 

The next hour was spent interrogating the agent. Scully noted that Mulder, too, had realized who this man was. The first ten minutes were spent on formalities, asking how Agent Jones had ever gotten involved in the case, whether or not he had met the suspect or his accomplices, and so on. As Jones revealed more, Mulder pressed him with some of the questions that had arisen from the added material they had received. The agent didn't question their origin and his answers to those questions were as straightforward as any of his other answers. Finally, tired of not surprising his interviewee, Mulder played out his last card. 

"Agent Jones, are you aware that Anderson is in the Chicago area, or that he has been in the past week?" Though there was no observable change in Jones' demeanor, it was clear from his silence that this _was_ new information. His gaze changed direction to focus on Scully. Again, chills danced along her spine as she tried to return his steady stare. Remaining focused on Scully, Agent Jones raised his hand to finger his earpiece. Mulder and Scully watched as he listened to some news, the content of which they could only guess. 

"I have not had that passed on to me, Mr. Mulder. May I assume that you established visual contact personally?" Agent Jones spoke with his hand still at his ear as he turned to look at Mulder again. 

"Yes, Scully and I discovered the suspect at a bar. Given the background you have provided, I'm glad we didn't try to arrest him." Mulder swallowed, giving his feigned look of sudden relief more credence. 

"You were told not to try and contact the subject in any way." 

"Right, so we didn't. We followed him for a few blocks after he left the bar, but we lost him within five minutes." Agent Jones seemed to accept this answer. 

"Did he try to contact you?" Mulder shook his head, and Scully seconded the negative response. "Then there should be no trouble. If that is all, Mr. Mulder, I will leave you to finish your analysis. I do not wish to interfere with that process any more than I may have already." Agent Jones stood to leave. 

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about? You've given us more on him than anything in that file. Why would that be interfering?" 

"Because the purpose of attaining a profile outside my division was to keep our information from tainting your findings." Mulder scratched his chin, desperately trying to think of something else to say. The words of the superintendent came back to him. On the day that Agent Smith had waylaid the super, he claimed that two other men had entered in pursuit of the suspect. Two other men in suits. 

"Agent Jones? Are you familiar with or do you know of an Agent Smith in your division?" Agent Jones was again suspiciously silent. Scully managed to catch Mulder's eye for a moment. She saw the pieces clicking behind his dull façade. 

"Agent Smith is no longer in service, Mr. Mulder." 

"He's dead?" 

"Yes." 

"Are you sure?" Agent Jones remained silent. "I only ask because you claimed that the suspect, one Thomas Anderson, was also deceased. So which is it?" 

"Agent Smith is gone. Our report on Anderson was never completed after the confrontation in which Agent Smith was destroyed. It was deemed unnecessary to update the file without proven evidence that he had survived the encounter." 

"You didn't mention this encounter. Does this have to do with the destruction of a military building in the Chicago area? We are certain Anderson had something to do with that." Jones sat again, as did the agents. 

"Yes, he was responsible. After that incident, he was pursued. In that pursuit, Agent Smith was eliminated. My partner and I evacuated before we could suffer a similar fate. Anderson had been wounded severely, we assumed it had been fatal. That is all. That is why the file claimed he was dead." 

"Oh, well, then I guess I don't have any more. Thank you, Agent Jones for your time." Without any recognition of that comment, Agent Jones exited the room. At the door he handed Mulder another manila folder and left without a word. Mulder bolted the door after their guest and turned to Scully. 

"He's lying, Mulder. There's more that he's not saying." 

"Well, duh." Scully chuckled as Mulder perused the new file. Indeed, Anderson was listed as deceased. Cause of death was listed as multiple gunshot wounds to the chest area at close range. A side note claimed that head trauma could also have killed him. No autopsy was filed as the body had never been recovered, but there was a location where the death had supposedly occurred. 

"The Heart O'the City Hotel. Sounds like it's worth a look, Mulder." Scully commented as she read the file from his side. Nodding, Mulder retrieved his coat and tossed Scully the car keys. She had the engine started by the time he appeared, clutching the three separate files in his arms. 

"Let's go." 

************************ 

"Okay, so let's see if this makes sense, Scully." Scully rolled her eyes. Knowing Mulder, it wouldn't make anything even resembling sense. "I'm Anderson, okay?" She nodded and motioned for him to continue. "I get this message on my computer from someone one night. That same night, Trinity kills four policemen and gets away." 

"Do you know about that?" 

"Let's say I don't. So, coincidence then? That's a stretch. But, if I do know about Trinity, wouldn't I be worried about also being discovered?" 

"If you were smart." 

"I am, so that's out. So, where does that leave me? I either do or do not know Trinity. These people don't seem to surface a lot, so what possible connection could her murders have with the message on my computer?" Scully thought about it for a second. 

"She's into computers, too, right? Maybe she sent the message, and she had to surface, expose herself to do so." A glance at Mulder told her that he had been thinking along those lines as well. 

"Right, so I don't know Trinity yet. So why does she contact me?" 

"She needs you for something?" 

"That fits. After she evades capture, she does talk to me and convinces me to do whatever it is. And I trust her because, I don't know, maybe I'm impressed with her work in the same field." 

"Makes sense. Go on." Mulder shook his head. 

"Okay, so I get this weird message, but I still go to work the next day, where I am then arrested for my computer piracy and tax evasion. Agent Jones and Agent Smith and the third guy arrest me, and take me somewhere, but they never log me in, never sign any papers to say I was ever in custody. Then what happens to me?" 

"I was hoping you had a theory, Mulder." 

"We know certain things, Scully. The CCD had this guy hauled in on one day, and then weeks later, he shows up in Chicago again, completely free and in the company of this Trinity. They walk into a military building, and they are the only ones to walk out, save for our agents, who, according to Agent Jones were there at some point." 

"Hold it, Mulder. He never said they were there." 

"But it was obvious that's what he meant, yes?" Scully had to concede the point. She had assumed that was what Agent Jones had hinted at as well. Mulder paused for a moment to check their map and detail the next set of directions. Once that was settled, Scully pulled onto Lakeside Drive and straight into rush hour traffic. Firmly stuck in the motionless sea of automobiles, Scully returned to Mulder's synopsis. 

"Okay, so where were we?" 

"Right, so, I'm still Anderson. I have just shot a squad of reserves and blown up the building with incredible ease. Now, all of a sudden, I'm on the run? Where is my back up? What happened to Trinity? After the building, all that is mentioned is the pursuit of, well, me. Why attack the building in the first place? If it was a random act of terrorism, why bother hanging around?" 

"Mulder, terrorists are highly unpredictable, especially those suffering from mental illnesses. There are a hundred and one reasons why Anderson stayed around." 

"Yeah, but what is the point exactly? I gather that if I'm being chased that I have to give chase in the first place. If he's suicidal, he'd have let himself be blown up, or let our buddy, Agent Jones, blow him away. If straight terrorism was the goal, why stay in the building? You saw the photo, Scully. Anderson and Trinity got into the elevator. The next report we have says the lobby was blown to high heaven." 

"They were looking for something, Mulder. They could have blown up the building after they got what they wanted." Nodding, Mulder continued his story. 

"That's what I figure, but what were they after?" Scully shook her head as her partner sighed. "Okay, forget it. We know they were after something, they either got it or they didn't, it doesn't matter. All we know is that afterwards, Anderson is tearing ass away from the agents on his tail. In the process, he kills one agent, Smith, and is wounded in the chest..." 

"Hold it." Scully cut her partner off. Part of the new file jumped out in her memory. "Mulder, read me the cause of death again." Fumbling through the file, Mulder found the page. 

"Says several gunshots to the chest at close range and/or head trauma." Mulder waited for Scully to process that information. When it came to stringing together postmortem evidence, Scully was his superior. She had the medical training and years of experience to make connections that went over his head. 

"There is no way he could have died that way, if we believe Agent Jones' story." 

"How so?" 

"Simple. Agent Jones said that Anderson killed Agent Smith before he died. Okay, that can work. Anderson gets the drop on Agent Smith, shoots him, breaks his neck, whatever. When does Anderson get shot?" 

"Either Agent Smith got off a lucky couple of shots, or the other agents interceded at that point." 

"Try the first scenario, Mulder. You're Anderson. You face off against Agent Smith. You manage to kill him, but in the process, you wind up shot, let's say three times in the chest. You are in a lot of pain, right?" Mulder nodded. "How does a man, possibly dying, but definitely suffering from serious injuries, scare two other agents so that they do not move in to finish the job?" 

"Maybe they backed off after witnessing him kill Smith." 

"But if that were true, they would have seen Anderson get shot, and they would know he was hurting." 

"Okay, so that doesn't work. What about the other option?" 

"The other scenario has even more holes in it, Mulder. If Anderson killed Agent Smith, without being injured in the process, then the other agents would have had to have been the ones to shoot him. If Anderson was so efficient at avoiding injury, how would the other two agents get close enough to inflict multiple chest wounds at close range?" 

"Interesting question." Scully rubbed her forehead, fighting her ever-present headache. 

"Oh yeah? I've got an even better set of questions to impress you with. One, how does the maker of this report know the wounds were close range without a body? Two, if the agents told the coroner that the wounds were inflicted at close range, and that they assumed he died as a result, why wasn't the body retrieved once they were certain he would be dead? Three is a new scenario. Say the other two got close enough to kill Anderson. Why then run from him? Another bomb? Perhaps, but the hotel is still there, Mulder, so that rules that out. How does a man get shot and still scare two agents enough that they run, leaving Anderson to die or not?" 

"What about the head trauma, Scully? Why is that in here?" For once, Scully had no answer. There hadn't been anything to suggest that Anderson had received head trauma. 

"That goes back to the gunshots. Unless he'd been knocked severely enough, the gunshots would have killed him before most common head injuries could have. It's almost like head trauma is thrown in for a possible explanation just in case." 

"In case of what?" 

"In case the body was ever found. But why head trauma, I have no idea." 

"We should make that our theme song." Scully chuckled, shaking her head. Mulder switched on the radio to a classical station and began to compose their theme song to the first tune that came on. In a few minutes, he had Scully laughing so hard that she could barely see through her tears of mirth. 

"Very good questions you two have." The music died on their radio to leave a voice all on its own. "Keep looking, Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. Your truth is out there." Mulder sat, mouth open in mid song as he listened to the placidly mysterious voice on their radio. 

"Anderson?" 

"It's Neo, but whatever." With that, the music recommenced as if it had never been interrupted. The rest of the drive to the hotel was spent in stunned silence. Mulder sat mute while Scully pulled into a parking garage a block away from the location. Killing the ignition and removing the keys, she sat back in her seat, just staring out the windshield. Mulder's eyes were riveted on the radio. They sat for a minute that way before Mulder finally spoke. 

"I guess we should do as he says." Scully unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. Once outside, she looked across the roof of the car at her partner. Fear and excitement were crossing his lazy features. 

"What have we got to lose?" 

End of Chapter 4 


	5. Chapter Five

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!!! 

Ch.5 

To say their investigation was unsettling was an understatement, Scully groaned inwardly as Mulder removed the yellow police tape to enter the Heart O'the City Hotel. They had asked for an evidence kit from the Chicago police, which had been obligingly delivered to them only ten minutes after Mulder had placed a call. Chance had placed a forensics van at a house across the street from their hotel. The lead investigator had complied with their request, giving them a kit as soon as the papers were signed, and he had even offered to have their evidence bumped up if it were a priority. After such a happy beginning, they had ended up here, stymied as to what evidence they would actually be collecting. 

Scully had made sure to put on two layers of sterile latex gloves while Mulder opted to only don one pair with a promise that he wouldn't touch anything terribly important. She had known better than to argue the point. Knowing her partner only too well, Scully fully expected he would only observe and point out evidence while leaving the collection in her capable hands. 

"So," Mulder whistled as he illuminated the musty darkness with his flashlight, "Where should we begin?" Scully thought about it for a moment as she poked around in the dust at the meager indentations that were not-so-recent footprints. 

"I'd say we start here and go up. I want to get at least one picture of these footprints." Mulder gave her the blank look that signaled he didn't understand the significance of the footprints in the dust. "For reference, Mulder. Look at the size of these prints." Scully took out a tape measure for added effect. "They have to be the policemen's prints." 

"How do you figure?" 

"They're close to one another, suggesting a sweeping cover pattern. If they were Trinity's, she would have been alone, according to our report from Frohike." Mulder's face blanked out even more than was his wont as he also tried to recall the data from what they had jokingly dubbed "the Frohike file". 

"Okay, so let's get one of those and work our way up." Scully nodded and reached to remove the Polaroid camera in their evidence box. As they slowly climbed the stairs, Scully took two more pictures, one of the staircase between the first and second floors, and one of the staircase between the next two floors. Upon lighting on the third floor, Scully immediately snapped ten more pictures before she let Mulder pass her to do a more thorough examination. 

The hallway alone was a find. Even with only the weak light provided by their flashlights, they could see a large bloodstain on the wall and the reflections of several shiny objects scattered on the floor. Mulder walked up to the side of the stain and kept the beam of his flashlight on it for Scully to garner a better picture. She held a ruler next to the shot to have a size ratio for later comparison. Pictures finished, Mulder left Scully to collect samples of the blood and the neighboring paint for comparison. He walked into the room directly across from the stain, room three-oh-three. 

Just inside the door were two empty shells. Mulder walked back into the hall to retrieve the camera and ruler to record their positions before he picked them up and dropped them into separate clear plastic baggies marked 'EVIDENCE' on the outside. Dropping color powder in the spot where the shells had been, Mulder stood and walked around the rest of the room. In one corner, a broken chair lay askew on the floor. On a table in the center of the room, he found a telephone cable, splintered in a fashion to be usable for a modem, something he had seen once or twice at the Lone Gunmen's workshop. But there was no computer, and no scuffmarks to indicate that a computer had been removed_. Unless it was a laptop_, Mulder nodded, accepting that theory for the moment. Next to catch his interest were gorges in the wall behind the table. He took the picture and lightly poked at the holes with his index finger. Bullets, which had possibly been removed as evidence, as had the laptop, could possibly have made the holes, or so he assumed. 

"That doesn't make any sense." Mulder muttered as he returned to the two bright orange powder circles that marked the positions of the shells. In the wall, there had been several shots, possibly an entire clip's worth, but at least three as best he could tell by the large gouges. So, why would there only be two shells? Why would the shells be left behind at all? Mulder walked around the room trying to piece together the evidence. 

Scully didn't look up at her partner's muttered confusion; she was too engrossed in discovering every clue in the bloodstain in front of her. The stain was darkened, being dried out and exposed, but some spots were still discernibly brighter than others. That suggested whoever had been wounded had bled both arterial and venal blood. The size of the stain suggested that the wounds had been made to major organs or blood vessels. The pattern was also a combination of splattered and pooled blood, and that, combined with the neatness of the surrounding area, suggested a gunshot wound. As best as she could tell with her preliminaries, the victim would have been shot from a short distance from the wall, causing the splatter; from there, the victim had either been shot again while leaning on the wall or he/she had been shot again and then collapsed against the wall and blood from one wound had covered more of the splatter. 

"Oh my God," Scully whispered as she gently rubbed her finger over six slight scuffs in the wall that were almost invisible under the bloodstain. So the victim was shot again here, Scully congratulated herself for her correct reconstruction as she cleared the scuffed portions and photographed them. As she did so, she looked at the strange smearing pattern that formed the grain of the bloodstain. Whoever had been bleeding had fallen or possibly slumped over to her left. The wall showed the blood being smeared over an extra foot or so from the center of the pooled portion of the stain. Scully followed the stain, looking for any other traces of blood. There weren't any more smears, but she did discover another small pooling. Scully pulled out the camera once more to get close ups of the pool and background shots that included a reference to its distance from the larger bloodstain. 

Once the photographs were finished, Scully retrieved a notebook to scratch down her information. She jotted down distances, sizes, detailed descriptions of the evidence, and lastly, the labels on the test tubes containing the blood and paint samples. Absorbed in recording the data, Scully nearly flew out of her skin when Mulder suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. 

"Sorry." His smirk belied just how not sorry he was. "Find something interesting?" 

"I'll say. Mulder, whoever was wounded here was practically murdered. I can't find any signs of struggle here. Whoever was shot was killed without any chance to return fire. Why, I can't tell you." 

"Then take a look at something, see if it fits whatever theory you've got running with your data." Mulder took a few steps to be standing just inside room three-oh-three. Scully stood out of her crouch, painfully stretching out the cramps in her legs, and walked over to stand across from him just outside the room. Her attention followed the beam of his flashlight that shone on the two orange powder circles. 

"I found two shells where those circles are, but there are more bullet holes in the wall...over here." Mulder walked back to the wall to illuminate the imperfections in the wall. Scully carefully stepped over the powder circles to stand next to him. "There aren't any shells nor are there any bullets. They were obviously removed. The question is by whom? And why were the shells I collected missed?" Scully nudged at the wall and shook her head. 

"Okay, then look at this," Mulder reached over to pick up the cable lying on the tabletop. Scully held the separated wires closer to her face. 

"I've seen this before, Mulder. There was a case where some kids were running around ripping out payphone cords to hook them up to their laptops so they could escape detection by the police when they committed computer felonies." 

"Yeah, I've heard that too, but as far as I know, neither Trinity nor Neo is a kid. Why would they have this wire set up like this?" 

"For the same reason, Mulder. To escape detection." 

"What if it wasn't for a modem? Remember the cell phone Neo gave me? That is an expensive little toy for him to just be flinging around. If they can afford to toss away equipment like that, they can afford to use a cell phone for their modem connections." Scully had to concede that point, and she shrugged to allow her partner to continue. Mulder didn't speak, though. He didn't seem to have any sure theory to explain the condition of the room beyond that. 

"Were there any bloodstains?" 

"What? Why would there be?" 

"If there had been someone in here, using a computer, who would that person be?" Mulder thought about it for only a second before the answer struck him. 

"Trinity. She was here, that's right." Suddenly, new avenues of possibilities opened to Mulder as he listened to Scully continue. 

"One of the officers arresting her was shot. There should be some blood somewhere, unless the forensics team cleaned it up. It's even possible that the man was shot out in the hall, and that's his blood." Mulder shook his head. 

"There were two times people were here in the past year, correct?" Scully nodded. "The first time, the Chicago police were here to do clean up. I doubt they would have left this building in this kind of state. If they really wanted to make sure that Trinity couldn't escape being charged for the murders, they'd have taken it all. So, let's assume they did. They dug out the bullets that missed either her or the officer who was shot, cleaned up the blood, and took any and all equipment she had with her at the time. That's a safe assumption, right?" 

"It's logical, so I guess so, but logic is out of fashion of late. Go on, what's next?" 

"The next time this building is in our records, Neo is supposedly dead. What if he was trying to make it back into this room, maybe to retrieve something Trinity had left behind, follow me?" Scully gave him another nod, and Mulder walked over to the orange markers. "The report said he had been shot in the chest at close range. Maybe he got just inside the door and met one of the agents. Then, well, boom!" Mulder gave a weak laugh as Scully rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Does that explain the phenomena we have here to your satisfaction?" 

"Your logic is sound, so I'll say yes. Let me take it from there, Mulder." Scully walked out into the hall and gently nudged aside some debris. As she had expected, there were several shells hidden by various pieces of broken ceiling tiles. "I think you may have gotten us on the right track, now I can finish." 

"Go ahead." 

"So, okay, Neo arrives here and meets up with an agent. This agent, or even possibly agents, shoots him right about here," Scully pointed to the orange markers and then walked over to gesture to the splatter. "That would explain the initial splattering on the wall. Then from there, he staggers back to the wall where he is shot again, as the pooling, the scuffing, and the shells all indicate." 

"So, the evidence does match the report Agent Jones handed us?" 

"As far as I can tell? No, not completely." 

"What's wrong?" 

"Mulder, there's another pool that would suggest Neo, if it was him, slumped over. You don't slump over unless you're dead or dying or unconscious. And that's not the only thing." Scully pulled Mulder over to stand up against the wall to the right of the bloodstain. Compared to his six plus feet, the stain only came up to his lower abdomen. "Neo's just about as tall as you, Mulder. This stain is too low to be caused by a chest wound." Mulder backed away from the wall to crouch down with Scully and look at the stain. 

"Well, he could have been bent over, that's possible right? You've looked at the stain, so you tell me. Could this be the blood from a chest wound?" Scully stopped to consider that possibility. It could actually be a valid story then. 

"Chest wounds could cause the simultaneous arterial and venal bleeding I've observed. Yes, it fits the evidence so far, but the rest of Agent Jones' report doesn't. All the signs point to Neo being killed, if indeed it was Neo. We have to ask why his body was abandoned...again." Mulder gave a low groan at that thought. 

"Thinking like that will give you a bigger headache." 

"Then there's not much else we can do here, Mulder. Let's just take the samples to the lab, and we can use the pictures and notes to reconstruct at our hotel...over a really big pizza. You're buying." Mulder laughed and kicked at some of the debris. A loose piece of the ceiling revealed a small metal object, one of many that had originally caught the glare of the flashlight. Scully snatched at the camera, clicking off two pictures before Mulder could even begin to bend over to pick it up. 

"It's a bullet?" Mulder didn't believe his own words as he turned the undamaged projectile over in his hands. The tip was pointed, factory perfect, but the bullet was missing its shell. Dropping the bullet for Scully to retrieve, Mulder walked over to the other end of the hall, kicking over more debris until he found the matching shells. Scully nodded when he whistled and grabbed some more evidence bags. Mulder helped her stuff the bullets and shells in separate containers. 

"So, tell me, Agent Scully, why are these here?" 

"Mulder, put it in the bag. You're not going to weasel out of buying pizza. We'll drop it off as a priority and know in a day." Mulder had to laugh at his usually serious and straightforward partner's cranky impatience. Nodding in assent, Mulder threw the last bits of evidence into the box and, with Scully leading with her flashlight, carried the box back to the car. All the way to the lab, Mulder couldn't shake a strange image of a pair of sunglasses he thought he'd seen in the hallway. He couldn't remember seeing them, but the image was there, all the same. 

***************** 

One hour later, Mulder was pulling into the parking lot of the hotel while desperately fighting to keep the grease from his pizza off of his clothing. Scully, having finished her own slice, was sorting the various photos. Just as they turned into the space directly in front of their room, Mulder sat up rather straight in his seat. 

"Shit." Scully followed his line of sight to rest her eyes upon Agent Jones standing at the doorway to their room. 

"Relax, Mulder, he's probably just got more for us. You should be grateful he's given us as much as he did." Her partner shrugged. 

"I don't know, the guy just gives me the creeps." Scully wouldn't allow herself to nod, but secretly, she agreed with him. Agent Jones gave off an unspoken menace, nothing she could describe, but definitely something she didn't care to investigate any further than absolutely necessary. They gave a mutual sigh and climbed out of the car. 

"Hello again, Agent Jones." Scully held out her hand, and once more Agent Jones ignored the gesture. "I'm hoping you have more for us?" 

"This tape was just sent. It has been verified that it is your subject. You will need it to finish your analysis. I will return to collect your evaluation of this man as soon as it is finished." Saying nothing more, Agent Jones dropped the tape into Mulder's hand and walked around the corner and out of sight. Mulder fingered the tape curiously as Scully fished for her room key. 

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little glad he showed up." Mulder grinned as Scully opened the door. 

"So, you're admitting defeat? Just going to write up that profile and say 'good riddance' to this case?" 

"Not hardly. I'm going to write it up, and then I'm going to find out who wants that profile more, Neo or Agent Jones." Mulder's words were inundated with intent. Scully knew he meant it. 

***************** 

"I know you're out there. I can feel you now." Mulder replayed the first to sentences to begin his notes. 

_ Paranoid convictions about superior forces in the world, possibly even in his own life...believes that he has some kind of connection to those forces, most likely an antagonistic connection...sees these puppeteers possibly as infectious and believes he can sense their infection...possible mental instability issues...most likely paranoid schizophrenia..._

Mulder stopped jotting down notes to listen to the next line of Neo's manifesto. 

"I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of change." 

_ Transfer of personal fears upon enemy...subject is afraid of his opponent and seeks to weaken the adversary to boost his own confidence...repeat of the word 'afraid' signifies his own fears are very close to this battle...confrontation will not be made lightly or without risk...repetition of 'you're afraid'...also could be his hopes to make enemy doubt himself...reference to 'us' also meant to intimidate 'you'..._

"I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin." 

_ Admission that he is not necessarily in control of all events...recognition of chance being a factor in his fight...signifies that he is not hopelessly delusional, but rather able to coherently accept and acknowledge his crusade is not invulnerable...uncertain over the final outcome, does not have religious conviction to this fight...repetition of verb 'tell'...subject intends to dictate the fight...possible messiah/God complex...believes himself to be the commander...believes he holds something over his enemy that allows him dictatorial powers..._

"I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you...a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries...a world where anything is possible." 

_ Subject is engrossed in own paranoid tenets and feels assured that he can force others to believe them as well...repetition of 'world' indicates subject had confused sense of reality, can't mesh what his vision tells him and what he sees...has trouble blending the various layers to his life...twisted realities, possible sign of paranoid delusions that are strong enough to confuse but not dissuade him from present course of action...stresses desire to eliminate limitations to freedom, may see himself as liberator, not belligerent or victim...as liberator, will ignore certain cruelties and crimes for sake of 'salvation' and 'freedom'...highly dangerous attitude suggesting subject will continue committing violent crimes...sense of morality adapted to focus on larger goals, minor sins no longer a plague to him...'show' is repeated and stressed, may imply highly sensational attack or act of terrorism, one that subject feels can not be disguised..._

"Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you." 

_ Last admission, giving enemy forewarning of possibly difficult choice to be made in the future...last throw away to opponent to encourage him/her to not give up on the fight...sentence is made to keep adversary hopeful that a compromise or victory may still be attainable...despite fears, subject tries desperately to keep his enemy interested in the fight...has trouble imagining future without this struggle, so cajoles to keep the conflict brewing...tone is almost condescending, like the choice is being allowed...patronizing enemy, more to deflate the opponent's abilities._

"Mulder? How's it coming?" Mulder leaned back from the legal pad he had scratched the notes onto. 

"I've pulled all I know to look for from his words. This guy is nuts, which is the only easy part of this profile, I'm sad to say." Scully smiled at her partner as he stretched out the kinks in his upper back. Lifting up off the bed, Scully walked over to give Mulder a slight massage as she read his notes over his shoulder. "Mmmmmm, if I finish the report, do I get a full session with the master masseuse?" Mulder kept 'mmm'-ing until Scully gave him a pinch for his comment. 

"Grow up, Mulder. Looks like you've got the tape pretty well covered. Now all you need to do is work it together with the other evidence, and you're set." Mulder groaned, making Scully laugh. "Okay, well, if you're real nice, and you do all the arranging, I'll do the typing." 

"Gee, that sounds fair." Mulder gave her a look, which Scully returned with an innocent smile. Rubbing his eyes, Mulder collapsed against the table with his legal pad. 

"Mulder?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Were you serious about what you said before? About seeing who was more interested in your profile?" Mulder sat back on his chair to give his partner a stubborn glance. 

"There are too many questions here, Scully. Neither Neo nor Agent Jones seems to be telling the complete story here, but I'm sure they both know it. To find the answer, therefore, I have to see which man wants this information bad enough to fill us in on what we don't know." For a moment, they mulled that over in silence. Scully thought back to their meeting with Agent Jones. When asked the right questions, he might reveal the truth, but she was sure he wasn't always straight with them. He had given them a cover story about Neo...lies, lies, and more lies...by this time, she was prepared for it, but it still rankled. 

And what about Neo? How had he done all those impossible things...sound like Mulder, meld that car and a lamppost, disappear without a trace? He had at least made an effort to relate to Mulder and to herself by mentioning their own work against higher authorities. A little leather and a few murders later, and Scully could almost see herself believing as Neo apparently did. But what did they believe in, and why did it make them so invulnerable? 

"Who are you going to approach first?" 

"I'm guessing Neo." 

"You guess?" 

"Scully, this is my work. I'm not handing it over to some guy in a suit who resembles every other hired hand for the secret government, a government that has tried to kill us more than once." Mulder shook his head vehemently. "No, we find Neo again, we share it with him. If Agent Jones plans to use this the way he should, then showing it to Neo won't matter because a person's character can't exactly be amended overnight. If, however, Agent Jones has an ulterior motive for wanting this information, I figure I can use this report to weasel that motive out of Neo." Scully smiled and nodded. It could actually work. 

"Sounds like we've got a plan." 

End of Chapter 5 


	6. Chapter Six

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!!! 

Ch.6 

Scully checked her watch for the third time in two minutes. It was still only about ten minutes to midnight. The stakeout had been a complete waste of time. When Mulder got back, she planned to give him the "I told you so" of a lifetime. For once, she was unconcerned about a case. The Anderson case was too much of a riddle, and it was a nonsense riddle. Scully had an idea that this enigma was on par with "why is a raven like a writing desk?" and that they were about just as likely to find the answer to it as Alice had been.1

To make matters worse, her brain had been drumming against her skull all evening. The steady pounding often synchronized itself to the heavy bass of the music pouring out from the club across the street. Every time she checked her watch, Scully took the opportunity to count backwards to determine when she could again take aspirin for her headache. In the back of her mind, the voice of her medical knowledge was piping up about the possibility of her cancer being responsible. Either that, or the pain was a sign of a major complication, perhaps even a new growth or tumor. For most of the evening, she had been able to repress that more depressing thought, but as the night wore on, and her headache made its presence felt, depression was easy to sink into. 

This was the last club, at least. They had purposely saved this one for last. Mulder had suggested and she had agreed that they should visit the other bars and clubs before returning to the place where they had first met Neo and Trinity. Scully kept hoping Mulder would give up, come out, and then they could go. But no, he had stayed for an hour now, and she had yet to see his face appear in the doorway since it first disappeared from her line of sight. 

Maybe they were going about this the wrong way. Scully was convinced that Neo had only shown because he was curious about them snooping around, not due to any real preference for this nightspot. The way to attract his attention, therefore, would be to interest him in what they might have to say. Not that Mulder had argued against her point, but instead he had only suggested that coming back would peak their subject's interest. 

Now, all she wanted was to go back to the motel and sleep off her headache. Ever since arriving in Chicago, Scully had been battling against her own mind for dominance over her thoughts. When her headache was too great, she couldn't concentrate on the case, only the pain. Mostly, she had been cheating by ingesting the maximum number of aspirins she could safely have each day. Something about this case was just aggravating the pain. As best as Scully could figure, the dizzying contradictions of evidence and logic were at fault. She shut down that train of thought before it could run away with her conscious mind and only augment the spikes of pain. 

Suddenly, Scully sat straight up. Neo was standing in the middle of the street, oblivious to the cars swirling around on either side as he stared fixedly at Scully in her car. He smiled and beckoned her with one finger. Scully pulled her weapon from its holster and opened the door. She kept the sleeve of her khaki coat covering the gun so as not to alarm any bystanders. Neo didn't move as she walked out where he stood. 

"Hey there." Neo kept his rather dazzling smile as she made a point of clicking the safety off her weapon. "Figures," Neo sighed, amused by her weak attempt at taking charge. Scully was unfazed by his reaction and lifted her arm to keep the weapon trained on his knee. 

"We've been looking for you, Mr. Anderson." He flinched at her words but remained silent, waiting for her to finish. "I believe you should come with me. I prefer you did so quietly, and you will only embarrass yourself if you make a scene." Neo mumbled something as he looked away, searching, perhaps, for some particular visage in the crowd. "What was that?" 

"I said, 'it wouldn't have been me who would have been embarrassed.' And do you think you could drop the 'Anderson'? No living person calls me that," Neo turned away again as he muttered under his breath "any more." Scully barely caught the words. 

"That's not important right now. You will come with me, or I will have to restrain you, is that clear?" Neo's smile brightened as he dropped his gaze to Scully's face. Considering her relatively diminutive stature, Neo was unimpressed by the threat, and it showed. Refusing to let his arrogant assurance sway her, Scully grabbed him by the arm and began to pull him to the car. Neo gave no resistance and followed her calmly across the street. 

Scully took out the handcuffs under the front seat and proceeded to cuff Neo's wrist to the door of the car. No objection, physical or verbal, was offered in response. Satisfied that Neo wasn't going to run, Scully backed away to a safe distance and fished for her cell phone. It wasn't it any of her pockets. She double-checked and still came up empty. 

"Looking for this?" Neo shook his arm and her phone dropped into his hand. Scully reached to take the proffered item, but Neo withdrew his hand a second before she had it. "Oops, too slow, Miss Scully." Bristling at the 'miss' instead of 'agent' and the stupid trick for which she had fallen, Scully, impatient and cranky, drew her weapon's sites on his chest. 

"We don't have time for this. Give it to me." Neo shook his head, and in a shiver of his hand, the phone disappeared into the folds of his coat. 

"If you want this, then you have to earn it, Miss Scully." 

"That's 'Agent' Scully, and I do not play games with terrorists." A sneer of disgust crept onto Neo's handsome features. 

"I won't call you what you aren't. Okay if I call you just Scully?" Sighing, she nodded. _If it would make this go faster... _"Fine then, but you still have to, what was that you said, 'play games with terrorists'?" Scully was about to lose it. She rubbed her head and fought the urge to shoot him. The pressure inside her head was building against the walls she had placed against it. 

"That must be some headache." Scully snapped to attention at Neo's words. They had sounded distant and with good reason. Neo was now at the end of the block, fifty feet away from her rental car. His words hadn't been shouted, as far as she could tell, but they weren't those of a man standing next to her either. How had he escaped the cuffs? She glanced sideways to see the silver pair of restraints dangling on the door. Her attention returned to Neo, still standing on the corner. One more mischievous smile and he turned and began to run. 

With no hesitation, Scully darted after him. He was fast, but she managed to keep up. Despite his healthy pace, Scully could tell that he was not going at his top speed. He wanted her to follow. That thought nearly stopped her in her tracks, making her suspicious of a trap, but the familiar drive to find the elusive answers, to catch that mysterious villain, drove her on. After about ten blocks, she saw Neo come to a slower jog and then stop. 

"Freeze!" Scully pointed her gun at him as she caught up. Neo smiled, letting her approach. He didn't seem winded or tired. "I don't know what you were trying to prove with that stunt, but I've had enough. You are coming with me, now." 

"No, I can't." Scully snorted at the comment. 

"You can't? Pardon me for language unbecoming, but bullshit." Once more, she reached to grab him by the arm. This time, Neo shrugged off her hold, grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. The gun was in that hand, leaving her helpless to use it. 

"Look at this building, Scully. What do you see?" Humoring her captor's whim seemed like the safest policy. Her eyes roamed over every detail, absorbing the address on the glass doors, the shabby exterior, and the dull light coming from an upstairs window. "Tell me what you see." 

"115 Lake Avenue." Neo nodded and released her arm. Scully turned, depositing the gun into her other hand while she stretched the kinks out of her sore arm. "What is all this about?" 

"This is where I am. You can come find me here later." If this man had ever had her at a loss before, Scully wouldn't have remembered it; this time was too puzzling for her to remember any others. 

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm here now. Why don't I find you now?" Chuckling, Neo fished into his coat and retrieved a small silver box. Carefully, he opened it and revealed its contents to Scully by dumping them into his hand. There were blue liquid capsules, about six or so, resting in his hand now. They looked like the cold and flu pills some companies sold. "What are those?" 

"Blue pills, and that's all I know. I'm still a little new at this myself." Neo gave her a sheepish smile, his cheeks tinting slightly at the admission of naïveté. "Basically, they're like sleeping pills, Scully, but you've already found that out." Scully could feel her windpipe contract with a sudden terror. Had she been drugged? "You can relax. The pill you took is perfectly harmless. How I managed to get it to you is irrelevant." 

"I don't understand." 

"You're asleep, Scully. I brought you here to show this place. I know that you want to talk to me, but there is no really secure way for us to do that at this time, not without risking both of our lives." 

"Right now, I'm asleep?" Neo nodded and allowed time for the thought to sink in. "How do I wake up?" Neo gave her a reassuring and enigmatic smile. 

"I can wake you up any time, not to worry. Besides, your partner is going to be looking for you. Just make sure you remember this, okay? It will save me a lot of trouble if I don't have to get you here again this way." Scully nodded, repeated the street address of the building as the picture began to swirl all around her. Neo faded away into a black nothingness. 

It took her a moment to realize the blackness was only the inside of her eyelids. A knock on the window encouraged her to open them. It was Mulder. 

"Great job you're doing there. Way to keep a keen eye out, Scully." Unconsciously, Scully moved to rub her forehead. She was in no mood for this banter, but at least she could attribute any snide remark to her headache. Then she realized that her head wasn't pounding any longer. She sat in silence as Mulder walked over to the passenger's side. Hopping in, he sighed and belted himself into the seat. 

"No luck tonight, but there's always tomorrow...Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow..." And for the rest of the car ride home, Scully was subjected to Mulder humming songs from _Annie_. 

******************* 

"And how did you say you got this address? And what is it, by the way?" Mulder crossed his arms and stared in awe of his newly secretive partner. Scully had woken up that morning, bright and early, and had forced him to do the same. Mulder had watched her packing and preparing the rental car while he ate breakfast. All she would tell him was that she had gotten an address on Neo and possibly his cohorts. Mulder hadn't asked questions until they were underway, but, as he was stuck in traffic once more, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. 

"I was told not to tell...in a way. It seemed important that I didn't, so I won't. Period. New subject, Mulder." Scully leaned back and stretched, twisting to work out the stiffness in her back between various spurts of movement in the traffic. Mulder resigned himself to defeat and did as she suggested. He didn't want to talk about the case, but it was burdening his mind. Always one to find the humor in any circumstance, Mulder decided on an appropriately silly and possibly relevant question to pose to Scully. 

"Do you think Neo and Trinity are in some kind of relationship?" Scully might have slammed on the breaks, so great was her surprise, if her foot hadn't been there already. 

"What brought that up?" Mulder shrugged. 

"I dunno, but do you?" Scully scratched her temple and sighed. She thought about the possibility for a moment. From their brief encounter with the pair, all Scully could hypothesize was that they were partners, part of a team. Beyond that, who knew? 

"I didn't get that feeling, Mulder. They're professionals, and I don't think that real pros would encourage that kind of behavior between two people working together in close quarters. I really don't know. What do you think?" Mulder smiled and stared blankly out the window. 

"I think they are." 

"What makes you say that?" 

"Well for one thing, most terrorists are extremely ugly. You've seen their pictures at the office in Washington, so you know what I'm talking about. It just seems to me that if I were a handsome terrorist that I would try to find one of the few pretty terrorists to fool around with." 

"I see," Scully smiled, a sarcastic grin forming on her lips. "So you assume because Neo and Trinity are among that rare breed of good-looking terrorist that they must be an item. I'm sure that makes sense on your planet, Mulder." Mulder gave a good-natured guffaw at that. 

"You don't think so?" 

"Mulder, I won't deny that Neo is a very handsome man, and that Trinity is very pretty..." 

"Pretty? Try gorgeous. If she wasn't a terrorist, she would be a model." Scully rolled her eyes largely for her partner's benefit. 

"Alright, alright. So they both belong on the cover of magazines, big deal. The beautiful people don't always inbreed." Mulder continued to chuckle. 

"Scully, you're in rare form today. I've never heard you be funnier than me." Scully laughed, flipping her hair. "Okay, okay, but it was a valid question." Scully threw him a look. "No, I'm serious. It helps us to analyze our subject." Mulder searched for the exact words from his criminal psychology textbook. "It is important to research your subject's relationships with his or her immediate family, significant others, and friends. Give or take a few words, that's about the long and short of it." Scully thought about it for a minute. 

"Okay, so you've got a point. And while we're on the subject," Scully turned her head to maneuver into another lane, interrupting her train of thought. "Do you think that's how she pulled him into all this?" This time it was Mulder's turn to be introspective. 

"Could be, but there are other reasons, Scully." 

"Yes, but why might Trinity be so interested in Neo? If it has to be more than sex, that is." 

"He's a computer criminal, a hacker. So's Trinity." Scully felt the urge to slap her partner across the forehead. She settled for knocking him on the side of the head. 

"Hello, anyone there? Mulder, tell me, just estimate if you will, how many people have done the same things as Neo has or have done worse? What makes him so special?" 

"Scully, I didn't think it was possible, but you have just asked yet another currently unanswerable question. Thanks a whole lot." Both of them started to laugh as Scully finally pulled off Lakeside Drive into the heart of the city. Once on Lake, she counted down the numbers until she reached 115. Mulder watched his partner freeze as she stared up at the shabby hotel. The strange terror on her face was not attributable to real fear, just paranoia...maybe. Scully whispered something barely audible. Mulder wasn't sure, but it sounded like "Déjà vu." 

End of Chapter 6 

Footnote #1: This riddle is taken from _Alice In Wonderland_, just in case you didn't know. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!!!  
Note: _italics_ signifies a memory 

Ch.7 

They were here. Scully had to blink a few times to be sure the building wasn't just a mirage. Mulder watched her with evident fascination. There had to be some explanation beyond science that had led her here; otherwise, Scully would never have been this fazed. Despite all their work, and her growing acceptance of the paranormal, Scully remained more of a skeptic than a believer. Her moment of extended panic was over a minute later, and they entered the lobby. Mulder headed off to the left while Scully went right. The lobby was deserted. 

"Of course," Scully gave a heartless chuckle. These people never seemed to frequent busy hotels, and with good cause. This place was not in as bad shape as the Heart O'the City Hotel had been, but that did not say much. 

"Scully. Over here." Mulder's usual baritone was now a concealed whisper. Scully glided over to where he stood. He was right in front of the elevators. The elevators had long pieces of yellow police tape across the door, marking them "DANGEROUS! DO NOT USE!" Attached to one piece of tape, a sheet of white paper dangled. 

" 'Mulder and Scully,' " Mulder began to read as Scully approached. " 'Nice of you to finally drop in. Eighth floor, first door on your left at the top of the stairs. Sorry, you'll have to walk it. -Neo' " They were on the third floor according to the number on the elevator door. Mulder snatched the paper off the tape and walked to the stairs. "This guy isn't taking this seriously, is he?" 

"I gather that's not his style," Scully tried to sound sympathetic. They were fortunate that the first three floors were underground, or so Scully learned after the first three flights. The stairs were old and high. Each flight carried them up about fifty feet. Every floor had nearly vaulted ceilings, which accounted for the extreme vertical climb. Even Mulder was winded after the fourth flight. Seeing as they were both tired, they took a break on the seventh floor. 

"Mulder, what are we doing here?" Scully sat down on a dusty, sheet-covered love seat. Mulder shook his head. 

"I'm beginning to rethink this myself. Maybe we should have gone to Agent Jones first. If they've got any weapons up there...anything even remotely like what they used to take out that building, we're dead if they say we are." Scully nodded at that morose thought. This really hadn't been planned as well as it should have been. Protocol demanded that they call for backup. Yet they hadn't, and not even she had thought twice about it. 

"Mulder, we should have called for local department backup." 

"Yeah, I thought of that, but I can't help but feel that they wouldn't do us any good. Remember the reports?" She did. The ratio of kills to time in the military building had been unbelievable; wars had been fought with a poorer ratio. Trinity had taken down four Chicago policemen on her own, three of which had had their necks broken. These people were good enough to do all that, and yet they shirked public confrontation, avoided direct meetings, and lived in abandoned buildings. Why? 

"Mulder, why is Neo _here_? If he can take us out, if he can take out an entire guard of military reserves, why does he hide?" 

"So the government can't nuke his ass?" Mulder shrugged. "I didn't plan on coming here for more questions, I came here for answers." Scully nodded definitively. That _was_ why they had come. Despite the possibility for peril, she felt assured that they could get their answers safely. And they would get them.... 

********************** 

"They're coming." Neo nodded. Trinity closed the door to the adjoining room. "How were you planning on doing this?" Neo smiled and put his arm around Trinity's waist. 

"They're going to be nervous, and I bet a little intimidated. If they really know as much as they said...." 

"Exactly my point. We have to be prepared in case they bring an agent with them, or if an agent takes one of them." Trinity's frown was spread tightly across her face. She was trying to ignore the rush of anxious adrenaline, not to mention Neo's caresses. Sensing her tension, Neo sighed and gave her a quick hug. 

"Hey, don't worry. We'll be ready for them, I promise. Expect the unexpected...now where did I here that phrase? Oh yeah, I think it was on a cartoon...I know, it was Tiny Toons...that Plucky Duck, such a cut up. He had more of an ego than I do." Trinity smiled and let a chuckle escape. Her sour hesitation broken, Trinity was ready for his plan. 

"So, how do we greet our guests?" Neo smiled and moved closer to her. Gently, he slipped off her jacket. Her strapless shirt revealed her perfect, bare shoulders. Trinity raised an eyebrow in silent query. 

"They're more afraid of us, trust me. Might as well make them think they're at an advantage. You know, catch them off guard so they won't be so uptight..." He cooed in her ear. Neo backed up towards the bed, pulling Trinity with him. 

********************** 

"Let's do this." Mulder gave Scully his hand and pulled her to her feet. They mounted the last flight of stairs. "First door on the left..." Mulder whispered to Scully as he pointed upward at the base of a door that she could hardly see. Creeping quietly up the last few steps, Mulder eased his way across the floor, careful not to disturb anything or make any noise. Scully followed his lead and strode across the tiles to the right side of the double doors as Mulder moved to the left. Mulder began a silent count, gesturing with his fingers the number he was on. 

"Shh!" Scully hissed, her voice still no louder than Mulder's whisper. The count stopped as both agents placed an ear to the wall. The wall muted the sounds, but the essence was still coming across. It sounded like two people either talking in low tones, or... 

"Jesus, Scully are they doing what I think they're doing?" Scully had to force an irritated look to cover her embarrassment. Knowing Mulder, with his penchant for the porno industry, the actions of the couple inside were turning him on. "I guess that answers the question about them being involved." Hot blood poured into Scully's cheeks as she listened. The sounds grew increasingly frequent, the rhythmic pattern only being broken by a few grunts and moans. Mulder had to hide his mirth at his partner's obvious discomfort. As far as Mulder knew, Scully had never walked in on anyone like this. Noticing his effort not to laugh, Scully stuck her chin out indignantly. 

"Sorry, Mulder. Extracurricular time is over. On three?" Mulder nodded, bringing his gun up again. One...Two...Three...Together, they kicked in the double doors, which, not being locked, gave away with little protest or noise. Keeping their backs covered, Mulder and Scully advanced cautiously into the room. There were two large armchairs over by an exaggerated fireplace with their own little table. The long curtains were closed, but the dawn light peeked though the folds. No one was inside, but upon breaking in, the noises became slightly louder. 

"Over there," Mulder gestured with his chin to another set of doors. Scully advanced, Mulder giving her cover. This time, without a count, they stormed the doors. As soon as they were inside the darkened room, the noises disappeared. Mulder gave Scully an "aw shucks" face, his way of trying to lighten the mood. The density of machinery for such an old room was staggering. There were outlets and buttons and plugs of every kind, hardly any of which they recognized. Scully's gaze snapped to follow a hint of movement she had seen in the back. The dim lights from the giant console provided enough illumination to give a hint of detail on an object in the back. It was rectangular...a bed perhaps? Scully fought her blush again as that thought came, unbidden, to her mind. To her relief, it was not her perverted imagination; it was a bed. 

Lying under the covers were their sleeping subjects, Trinity resting in Neo's arms. The sheet covered up to her shoulders, with her left arm positioned next to her head. Neo still had on his black dress shirt, but it was unbuttoned. Scully squinted at the scene. Something was wrong here. If they had just been...well, if they had, how could they possibly be asleep? Or finished for that matter, Scully giggled to herself. A short stab of envy hit her in the base of the skull. How was it that terrorists could find time to fool around and she hadn't slept with someone in one, two, three years? It had been long enough to lose count, which was the most depressing part. Jealousy began to nibble away at her anxiety, which was beneficial in one sense. However, as she stared at Trinity, blissfully resting on Neo's bare skin, envy turned to anger. 

"This is you wake up call." Mulder chimed in, pointing his gun and cocking it. Neither Neo nor Trinity stirred. Scully followed Mulder's lead, thankful that her partner had not been so sidetracked. Neo opened his eyes, blinked once or twice, and then closed them again. His nonchalance was unusual, but both agents had had enough unusual cases to be unfazed by this reaction. 

"Good morning, Mr. Mulder, Scully. I trust you didn't have any trouble finding us?" Neo's calm tone made him sound more like a friend greeting guests at a summerhouse than a wanted criminal addressing the FBI agents assigned to profile him. Trinity had her eyes closed and was still, her breathing regular. 

"The directions were fine. It's the mountain climbing I could have lived without." Mulder smiled. He had to admit, he liked this guy's style. Neo reminded Mulder of himself in many ways. There were times when Mulder could remember being caught watching a few of his "favorites". This wasn't much different, except for the fact sex seemed to have this bizarre acceptance in society that his type of entertainment didn't. 

"Time to talk, Neo." Mulder shot a glance to his partner. What was making her so uptight? Even for her, this was...unusual. Neo sighed; his exasperation was akin to Mulder's. 

"Yeah, sorry we have to break up this party." Neo chuckled. He propped himself up, shifting Trinity slightly in the process. Her eyes snapped open to focus a stare void of emotion at the two agents. 

"What party?" Scully couldn't keep her anger in check. She brought her weapon to within an inch of Neo's temple. Mulder couldn't believe it. What could have possibly merited that response? 

"Let's go, Neo. I told you last night, you are coming with us. If you make it hard on us, restraints aren't optional." Scully didn't back down. Mulder decided to follow her lead, make it seem like a team effort, and nudged his own firearm towards Trinity's head. No sooner done then the sound of several more weapons being cocked was heard. Mulder and Scully each stared, uncomprehending at the new situation. 

It had seemed like Trinity flew backwards into a crouch opposite Neo. She had two semi-automatics, one trained on each agent. Neo, too, had pulled himself up and had two guns of the same make as the agent's. The speed of the pair who had been only recently splayed out comfortably on the bed was dizzying. The real confusion started once Mulder and Scully realized that both Neo and Trinity were dressed. Trinity's low cut, strapless shirt had been easily covered by the blanket, making her appear naked. Neo had had his shirt before, but Scully had thought, blushing as she did so, that he wouldn't have been dressed either... 

"You're not..." The rest of the stupid and obvious question never left her mouth; Scully caught it before she could embarrass herself further. A devilish grin played out on Neo's lips. 

"Why, Miss Scully, we were only resting our eyes. Whatever did you think we were doing?" Scully felt the rush of blood to her cheeks. Indignant, she tried to recover. 

"Really funny. We heard you." Trinity gave Scully a curious glance. Until then, Trinity had not shared in Neo's humor or in any emotion that either Mulder or Scully had noticed. This time, she appeared genuinely puzzled. Mulder watched the quick silent conversation held between the looks Neo and Trinity returned to one another. 

"I can't imagine what you mean." Neo shrugged, his smile encroaching further across his face. Mulder had to hold back his laughter. He hadn't been wrong about Neo or his sense of humor. For a dead guy, Neo was pretty animated. Trinity passed Neo another look, to which he responded by nodding. His smile vanished. "Time to talk. I believe you have something to say to me?" Neo turned to look at Mulder. 

"Yes, but there is a catch to that." 

"Naturally. What do you want, Mr. Mulder?" 

"I want the truth." He paused but quickly enough not to draw any added attention. "That's all I ever want." A look of camaraderie and sympathy hid in Neo's eyes. Scully couldn't help the jealousy that was eating at the back of her neck again. Now even Mulder had some kind of kindred spirit. Life was just not fair. 

"You deserve it, Mulder. I've checked up on you. If anyone needs to know, I'd say it was you." Slowly, Neo pulled his guns back and put them into the holsters that were strapped around his legs. Trinity made no move to copy his actions, keeping her weapons on their targets. "But first thing's first." Neo rolled off the bed and into a tuck on the floor next to Scully. It was sheer luck that she hadn't let her nervous trigger finger have its way. 

"Share and share alike, Mulder." Neo called over his shoulder as he walked back into the first room. Mulder swallowed a hard lump in his throat. He knew Neo was talking about his report. He had rethought coming here before, and now he was on the verge of running if it would keep Neo from reading the profile. In all his years of training, Mulder could recall all the cases and all the precedents that strictly dictated that giving the subject his profile was dangerous. Neo waited for Mulder to follow, which finally overrode Mulder's initial hesitation. When Scully tried to go with her partner, Trinity jumped up and stood in her way. 

"Not this time, Miss Scully." Adding emphasis to her words, Trinity proceeded to disarm Scully. Afterwards, Scully could only barely remember the exact process as the swift moves melted together. In one moment, Trinity was throwing her own weapons up and high-kicking the firearm out of Scully's hands, then in the next, she was catching all three. "I believe I have made my point." Scully nodded numbly. The door to the adjoining room closed, sealing Mulder and Neo away. Scully sat on the corner of the bed, sighing her resentment of submission. 

"So, that little episode, just now, this is what you do for fun?" Trinity actually smiled, the first such reaction that Scully had seen in her. "If you were going for distraction, it worked." Another smile. 

"I'm sure Neo embellished just a little bit." Scully chuckled at that. "He has a tendency to overdo things some times. I don't know what you heard before, but trust me, it was all part of the act." Scully laughed at the thought of Neo making up those noises, purely for the sake of distraction. For the sake of staving off boredom, Scully decided to take the time to profile Trinity. If ever they did turn over Mulder's report, this would be an added bonus. 

"Do you mind if I ask why you're doing this?" Trinity remained silent. Behind her usual stoic façade, Scully could picture her mind racing. "Why are you so interested in us? Just because we're following you..." 

"That's not it, Miss Scully." 

"Agent Scully or Scully." A sneer of pure disgust creased Trinity's placid features. 

"I won't call you agent anything. It's not who you are. Scully, then." 

"Fine." 

"You want to know why? It's because you know something you've never had explained to you. You've accepted thus far, but you have never really believed. Every answer you find is only one more lie to add to a pile of them, which you have accumulated over the years. Slowly, you have come to realize what most of us know now. There is something wrong with the world you live in...There is something not human that is influencing yours and others' lives." This time, Scully stayed mum on the subject at hand. "I'm right, Scully. I've been there." 

"How? How could you possibly know what it's like?" Scully dropped her head into her hands. How was this woman bringing these raw wounds to the light? "You have no idea what it's like to be violated like Mulder and I have been. We've run up against forces with superior resources and power like you wouldn't believe. So far," Scully spat her next words with all the frustration her grief possessed, "So far, all you've done, you've gotten away with. Nothing can stop you. So why do you wait? Why not just kill us? I know you intend to. There's no other reason you're letting us get this close, Trinity." 

"That's not true, Scully. We are only trying to help you." Scully started to laugh, but her voice lacked any sincere mirth. "What?" 

"Help us? How? Better people than you have tried, people with more influence, more sway, more intelligence...no offense, I only meant in terms of having the information." Trinity shrugged at the last comment. She sat next to Scully on the bed. 

"Let me tell you something, Scully. I know all about you. I know everything about your career, your supposed abduction, and your life as a whole. You may not know it, but you and Mulder aren't that different. You both want answers, want reasons why things are what they are. But you refuse to accept that the answers may lie outside scientific reasoning. That will change. 

"And just for the record, there is no 'better person' than Neo." Scully couldn't hide a genuine giggle at that. 

"Oh, why is that? I thought that," she jerked her head toward the bed, "was just a distraction." It was Trinity's turn to flush for a moment. 

"That wasn't what I was talking about." Trinity's voice was broken with her own attempt to keep from laughing. "You'll know one day, Scully. I believe you will make it." 

"Make it where?" Trinity dropped her gaze to the floor. When she turned to look at Scully again, Trinity had rediscovered her enigmatic stoicism. 

"The real world." 

********************** 

An hour later, Mulder took the lead as he and Scully left the building. Scully felt liberated. A great weight had vanished in her life. Her earlier jealousy of Trinity and Neo, and then of Neo and Mulder, had vaporized. There was no need to be jealous. Despite their criminal behaviors and incredible abilities, Neo and Trinity were good people. Scully hated the thought of going back now and giving the report over to Agent Jones. 

_"You know we have to turn in Mulder's character sketch to Agent Jones, Trinity. We can't disobey..." Scully trailed off at the piercing stare of surprise and alarm that Trinity was giving her. "What?"_

_ "Agent Jones? Is that a guy?" Scully nodded. "Black suit? Black tie with gold clip? Always wears black sunglasses?" Yes, yes, and yes. "Shit. An agent told you to do this?"_

_ "Yeah, we thought it came from the NSA at first, but then Agent Jones called and..." Scully cut herself off when she saw that Trinity wasn't paying any attention. "What's the matter?" Trinity never answered. She stood up immediately and burst into the next room. From where she sat, Scully could see Mulder sitting rather straight in one of the armchairs, directly across from Neo._

The sudden anger and shock in Neo's face when Trinity told him what she had been told was enough to give Scully a cold shiver. Within five minutes, Neo had Mulder on his feet and out the door and Scully in tow behind him. 

_Now here we are_, Scully sighed as the thought passed through her head. Mulder started the car while she lingered, looking up at the dull light several stories over her head. She could remember her terror at finding this place, the exact building Neo had shown her in her dream. Now, Scully didn't want to leave. The answers she had from Trinity explained very little but served to peak her interest. 

As soon as she got inside the car, Scully knew that Mulder's interest in the case had been reinvigorated. He sat in the driver's seat like a ghosted shell of himself. The whole drive home his movements were mechanical and automatic. But behind his ever-serene and vacant expression, Scully could detect a detached turbulence. Mulder was thinking about the case, but he was afraid? Nervous? Insecure? What had he found out from Neo? Scully almost asked him about thirty times on the way home, but each time she turned to look at him she lost her nerve. Thus, the car ride back to the hotel was quiet and introspective for both agents. 

They remained mute even as they reached their hotel only to discover Agent Jones standing there...yet again. 

"Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. I've come to collect you report." Scully glanced at Mulder. He was still shying away from her investigating stare. Mulder reached into his coat and pulled out the crumpled yellow legal paper with his notes on it. Agent Jones reached to take it, but Mulder held it away. 

"It's not typed, Agent Jones. If you can wait another day..." No visible sign of registration showed on Agent Jones' face. 

"That won't be necessary." 

"I'm sorry, I can't turn this over until I've made the proper documentation with the bureau." Mulder walked around Agent Jones, Scully right behind. As she passed, Scully felt a chill. When Scully closed the door, Agent Jones was no longer standing there. He had disappeared...like Neo had once. Scully rubbed her forehead. This had been an interesting day, even though it hadn't been as enlightening as she would have liked. But, like all the other days previous, her head was thundering. 

********************** 

"Good morning Chicago! It's Randy Stubbs and Rudy Chubbs on Stubbs and Chubbs in the morning! Time is approximately seven-thirty, and it is currently sixty degrees outside in the Windy City, but don't forget your coats because a cold front is on the way. More on the weather after traffic with Cyndi Stevens. Cyndi?" 

Before the squeaky, high-pitched voice of the traffic expert could drive her insane, Scully smacked the snooze button on the clock radio. 

"Mmmmm...Mulder? Have you made coffee yet?" No reply. _Great, what a time for him to go out on a jog_, Scully groaned and tossed over in her bed, throwing the covers over her head. The radio flipped back on to the most annoying country song to which she had ever been subjected. Scully reached to smack the radio again but only succeeded in knocking it off the nightstand. Grudgingly, she got up, yanked the plug from the wall, and went to take a shower. 

Half an hour later, Scully was putting the finishing touches on her makeup while packing away her clothes from the day before. Mulder still hadn't returned. Leaving for breakfast, Scully posted a note on the door in case Mulder got back while she was out. By the time she got back, the note was still on the door. Scully let herself in before she really began to panic. She searched frantically through Mulder's stuff to find some clue as to where he had gone. 

When she got to the drawer in which he had placed his clothes, she found the answer. Underneath his gray sweatpants, a set of papers with a post it note attached to the top sheet. Scully removed the papers. There were three copies of his typed profile on Anderson, Thomas A. Scully read the yellow note, written in Mulder's scrawled script. 

I have to know. 

End of Chapter 7 


	8. Chapter Eight

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!!! 

Ch.8 

"Agent Scully, this is only an informal inquiry, but I'd like to remind you that what you do say here will be kept on record. Understand?" Scully nodded to some new and faceless deputy director of Internal Affairs. Deputy Director Henson nodded to a typist to start the tape recorder and begin typing. 

"Agent Scully, is it true that both you and your current partner, Agent Fox Mulder, were assigned a special interdepartmental case given to you by Assistant Director Walter Skinner?" 

"Yes." Scully didn't fidget, but she couldn't help adjusting and then readjusting the hem of her skirt. The clicking of keys carried across the room as Henson looked over his notes again before asking his next question. Somehow, these inquiries were never different. For some reason, the person leading the questioning could never remember the next few queries without looking at their sheet. 

"Agent Scully, once you began your assignment..." Scully tuned out most of the questions, only catching enough to know whether the answer was 'yes' or 'no'. The questions never deviated from those simple right or wrong type. While Henson and his support group went over her information, checking through past proceedings' notes, Scully thought about the real subject at hand, Mulder. 

Where was Mulder? Eventually, Deputy Henson was going to come around to that, but first he had to pry and do all sorts of inanities before he could accept any answer she might give. When it came to that, Scully wasn't sure how she was going to answer. No, she didn't know where her partner was, but could she honestly say she had no idea why he had left? Maybe they wouldn't ask. 

"So, what you're saying is, Agent Scully, that your partner left you alone sometime while you were asleep, leaving behind his contribution to your assignment, but not any clue as to his present whereabouts?" 

"That's correct." 

"Do you have any reason to suspect foul play or other circumstances beyond either yours or your partner's control?" 

"No, sir." 

"That will be all then, Agent Scully. You are dismissed." Scully stood, mumbled thank you and headed for the door, trying to beat Skinner to it. The last thing she wanted was to have to deal with his suspicions, especially since he would know whether or not she was lying. 

"Scully..." Too late. Just outside, she spun on her heels at her name. Skinner caught up to her and ushered her aside. "What the hell is going on this time? Scully, I can't keep saving you and your partner. Where is Mulder?" Scully gave her boss every inch of her inner steel with her words. 

"I said I don't know. I wasn't lying in there, sir, no matter what you may think to the contrary." 

"Damn it, that's not what I meant and you know it. I know you have some idea where he is." Scully bristled at that assumption. It was correct, but she had no desire to give in to his intuition. 

"Even if I did, I wouldn't waste my breath on it. Besides, if 'I don't know' is good enough for IA, then it's good enough for you...sir." Scully turned and walked away. There was no reason for her to prolong this pointless conversation. 

Not when there was work to be done. 

************************* 

Ten-thirteen. God, was it ten already? Scully picked up her alarm clock and double-checked the time. Nope, it was correct. Ten-thirteen am, and she was still up. Sighing, she stood up and away from the stack of papers she had next to the computer terminal in Mulder's basement office. 

To stay awake, Scully tried to count the days, then the hours that Mulder had been gone. Twenty-two days, ten hours...or was it eleven hours? At that point, she knew it was time for another coffee break. Fortunately, the _Starbucks _a block away would be open now, and she didn't have to settle for the sludge that had gotten her through the night. 

And what a waste of a night's sleep it had been. As part of procedure, Scully was supposed to research Mulder's recent activities in case, although she had vehemently denied it, something 'beyond his control' had kept him from work. That had kept her after-hours into the late evening, but once she started rifling through his stuff, it was hard to stop. There could be answers piled in his messy desk drawer, and she was determined not to miss any of them. 

_Not to worry_, she thought, _I didn't_. The only items that weren't work-related were a few unlabeled tapes, which she didn't dare put on. Mulder's computer yielded similar nothing, but at about three am, Scully had taken a break to go cruising around cyberspace, checking email accounts, message boards, and whatever else caught her eye and kept it open. 

That little sidetrack had cost her about four hours, or so she had thought. It had really been seven hours? Scully picked up her pocket alarm clock and tossed it into her bag. She'd take the day off with a few stolen hours logged, despite the fact she had really just been fooling around. No one really paid her or Mulder any attention, save to take five seconds to call them nuts. 

_Starbucks, here I come_, Scully thought with some relief. As she was about to lock up, the whirring of the computer caught her attention. I know I turned it off, I know I did. Scully walked back into the room grumbling about the curse of technology. 

"Wouldn't happen if I knew how to use the damn thing..." 

[AND IT'S NICE TO TALK TO YOU TOO, SCULLY] 

Scully dropped her bag and sprinted over to the monitor. In bright green letters, the strangely familiar words were awaiting her. As she sat, the words disappeared only to be replaced by a new phrase. 

[HAVE YOU MISSED ME?] 

"Mulder?" 

[GOOD GUESS, BUT NO. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW WHERE HE IS, OR WOULD YOU RATHER KEEP GUESSING?] 

The sarcasm was so characteristic, Scully had to convince herself that it was not Mulder a few more times. Very few other people had his type of dry wit. A name came to her after a few minute's thought, but she didn't dare say it aloud. That case had been almost a month buried, no matter when the inquiry had been, it was over. 

"Neo?" 

[HEY THERE, GIVE THE GIRL A PRIZE.] 

"What do you want?" Scully might have chuckled, if not for the shock of this strange encounter. 

[TODAY'S THE TODAY. SEE YOU IN CHICAGO.] 

"I am not in, nor am I going to Chicago." Scully smiled. His arrogance was just that, arrogant, but it was really funny. 

[DELTA'S HAVING A SPECIAL. PLUS, THEY NEVER CHECK YOUR BAGS FOR, YOU KNOW, THOSE LITTLE THINGS...LIKE EXPLOSIVES.] 

Scully could have done without that reminder of just how dangerously violent Neo and his friends could be. The computer died with one more sentence...this one cryptic enough to hold her eyes fastened to the screen long after her mind told her that the monitor had shut off. 

[THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE, SCULLY...IN THE REAL WORLD.] 

************************* 

"What am I doing here?" 

"I know what you mean. I'm off to see my boyfriend myself. I just wish I could tell my husband about it." Scully rolled her eyes and bemoaned the horrid trial of coach traveling. Giving her best sympathetic look to the woman beside her, Scully tried to think of something else to pass the three-hour flight. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard fight 101 to Chicago's O'Hare airport, this is your captain speaking. We've got clear skies all the way, and about two hours to go. So, just sit back and relax, and enjoy your flight on Delta." Scully sighed and flipped through the magazine in the pocket of the seat in front of her. While the stewards passed out additional leaflets and headphones, Scully concentrated on an article about computer criminals. Maybe I'll get an insight into what I'm heading for. 

"Do you think this is helpful? Do you think that you can or will learn anything about people from a magazine?" The words swirled on the page, ads disappeared as the colorful travel and news portfolio became the exact image of Mulder's computer terminal. Oh God, what the hell is this? 

"Congratulations, Agent Scully, I believe you really want to know the truth. Maybe you're not so different from your partner." 

"Where is Mulder, Neo?" Scully growled under her breath, saying a quick prayer of thanksgiving that the people all around her were too engrossed in some stupid Bruce Willis movie to hear her. 

"He's been trying like mad to get our attention, but it's a two-for-one type of deal. We want both of you." 

"Want?" 

"Look in your peanuts. The steward should be bringing them around now." The message shook on the page and suddenly the article was back as were the various ads for liquor and the like. 

"Peanuts, ma'am?" Scully started at the voice but managed to disguise her panic from the steward. 

"Please." A uniform silver packet was dropped into her hand and the same question posed to the other two people to her right. Neither responded, if they heard the question at all. The were too engrossed in watching Bruce Willis save the day with some ludicrously fake martial arts moves. Scully carefully ripped the corner of her packet and tilted its contents out into her hand. A red capsule, again strangely familiar, tumbled around her palm. There was still one lump in the bag, which she squeezed to reveal one blue capsule. Blue capsule...then these were the same pills Neo had slipped her before? 

"Correct. Take one of the red ones now." The paper not only had the words written, but it made a nearly inaudible beep to capture her attention. 

"I am not taking these." 

"Then why are you on this flight, Scully? It's not a question of believing any more. It's a test. I learned this too. You can't go back. Either you do and know, or you don't and you have to live with never knowing. I chose to know, and you've been looking for the answer longer. So, which so you choose?" The hand with the pills shook. 

"I need to know." 

"Don't tell me. I don't need convincing." Scully nodded and resolutely swallowed the red capsule. It wasn't easy to swallow without... 

"Would you like something to drink, ma'am?" 

"Try the water." Scully laughed at the sentence in her magazine even as it once again vanished. The steward gave her a funny look, but said nothing. 

"Yes, I'll just have some...hard liquor. What have you got?" 

************************* 

WELCOME TO O'HARE AIRPORT! Scully dragged her steps with all due hesitation. For the nth time since she had gotten on the plane in Washington, Scully wondered what she was doing here. Vaguely glancing over the gate's waiting room, her eyes fell on a man in a regulation black suit holding a card with "SCULLY" written on it. 

"Excuse me, do I know you?" Scully asked the man she assumed was a limousine driver. From behind his sunglasses, the man didn't even flinch. He dropped the sign and reached into his coat. The man had only half-finished his movements when Scully realized he was reaching for a gun. The flap of his jacket revealed one of the largest handguns she had ever seen. 

"You are to come with me, Ms. Scully." Stupefied, Scully could only shiver and try to back away. Her feet seemed to be mired in concrete. Recognition began to sink in as she continued to stare, alternately fascinated and horrified, at the man who now had her by the arm. She didn't know his name, but this man was definitely, for lack of a better word, familiar. His clothes, the sunglasses, the stern and speechless demeanor were those of Agent Jones only disembodied into this new face. 

"Let me go!" Scully tried to free her arm, but this man's grip was not to be shaken. 

"You heard the lady." In a moment, Scully was thrown to the ground, receiving a severe bump on her head for the trip. Reeling, Scully looked up to see the man who had held her still standing there. Only something was different. Several...lumps crawled along his body under his skin. Terror was renewed as Scully remembered where last she had seen that effect. The black ooze, the strange alien oil...it had claimed its victims that way, and she had seen a man die of the infection. And she had seen how it could spread so easily between victims. 

"Nooooo!!!" Scully inched her way backwards, away from this victim. She halted her move when she saw the cracks moving along his face. Thin lines of a hot whiteness split his reddening face. The expression on his face was defiance, not fear, but perhaps there was some there that she just couldn't see. The light grew too bright to for her to look at. When the brightness dimmed, Scully glanced back. 

"Neo?" Sure enough, Neo stood in front of her, looking tired but nonetheless amused. He held out his hand, which she took, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "You do know how to make an entrance, Neo." Sheepishly, Scully looked around, expecting a crowd of onlookers. No one had even paid her a passing glance. 

"It's alright, Scully. They can't see you...or me." Not bothering to consider why this was so, Scully tried to recover her dignity. 

"Then can we go?" Neo smiled and gestured for her to follow him. They breezed through security and made it out into the parking lot in only five minutes. Once they were within a hundred feet of the black car, parked away from all the others, Scully identified Trinity standing just in front of the door. Neo nodded to her, passing some kind of code between them, to which Trinity responded by pulling out her cell phone. While Trinity finished her call, Neo ushered Scully into the back seat. Before he closed the door, Neo leaned over to talk to her. 

"One word of advice, Scully. Don't trust anyone wearing an earpiece." Scully groaned and closed the door herself. 

************************* 

"Where are we going?" Scully had tired of waiting a long time ago, but by this time, she had lost any patience she might have had. To make matters worse, she had had to sit with a gun pointed at her the entire time. Neo kept a trained eye on her while Trinity drove. Finally, it seemed that Neo, too, had gotten bored with the silence. 

"We're picking up a friend." He gave her another smile, something that he did particularly well, in her opinion, but said nothing more. Scully let the issue sit for a while, but boredom would not be swayed. 

"Where do we find Mulder?" Neo shook his head, chuckling. 

"I knew you were smart, Scully, but damn if you don't make it hard to be mysterious." 

"Where has he been? Have you..." Neo cut her off with a look, nothing more. 

"Scully, your partner has a determination factor that is not to be believed. But that and five cents still don't buy you a ticket to Zion. We are going to pick him up. It was decided that we'd wait until we had you, too. It would have been too difficult to get to you later." 

"You would have been dead." Trinity filled in from Neo's side. Neo nodded gravely. 

"No one can help you if you're dead, Scully. Not even me." Scully blinked and sat mute in her seat. After she took her moment to recover, she smiled. 

"And I thought you said you had trouble being mysterious." 

End of Chapter 8 


	9. Chapter Nine

Title: The Answer Is Out There  
Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!!! 

Ch.9 

"Hey, watch it buddy!" Yet another anonymous stranger, tired of being shoved aside by this brooding figure, yelled and cursed more than was necessary. None of it registered to the silent man with his eyes focused on the ground beneath his feet. How many days now? He couldn't remember. What am I doing here? He had no idea, but he kept walking. The public library was only a few more blocks away. 

"Good morning again, Mr. Fenig!" The chipper blonde, whom he had discovered to be a constant irritation, greeted him as she opened the doors. He had been coming by often enough, early enough to have learned her routine. Cynthia, the blonde, came fifteen minutes after the cleaning crew and thirty minutes before the rest of the library staff. Taking a shine to him, she allowed him to start in on his work and research as soon as she got the computers up and running. After the first week, she had given up trying to talk to him while they were alone, despite some rather desperate overtures. Mr. Fenig had no interest in her. 

He walked over to the farthest station, which Cynthia obligingly turned on for him. Then she left, as she always did, letting him work until the library closed, which he always did. He could imagine that the terminal was still warm from its previous use, which had been twelve hours ago when he had signed off the night before. Cynthia whistled as she fired up the various other machines: the other computer stations, the children's room's computer, the copiers, and the checkout reader. He paid her all due attention, which is to say he ignored her completely. 

The computer hummed, starting its familiar process for the seventh day of this week, which was also the nth day in a row, period. Blue and white, a background of happy clouds, marred by the Microsoft logo, let him know that the computer was working on starting up for him. He waited for the usual procedures to finalize, waited desperately for the setup to finish so he could hit the internet and surf for the next twelve hours. 

This time was different. The screen glowed a teal green, displaying all the icons of the various downloaded programs, then it morphed. The teal faded into black, the icons became green letters, and the entire computer stopped vibrating, almost as if it had been shut off. But the sharp contrast of the letters on the black indicated that the computer was indeed still on. 

[I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR US, MULDER.] 

It had been too long since someone had called him that. He was used to giving his name as Fenig, Max Fenig, a name he pulled from a memory of a dream. Maybe he had known the owner of that name once, or maybe he had fabricated the entire pseudonym. Whoever was writing hadn't forgotten. Unbeknownst to himself, Mulder spoke aloud, startling Cynthia at the desk. 

"Who are you?" Cynthia looked up and peered at her unusual customer. The screen blinked and changed. 

[MIND NOT SPEAKING ALOUD? YOU'RE IN A PUBLIC PLACE, AFTER ALL. YOU DON'T WANT TO ATTRACT ANY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF, DO YOU?] 

"No." Mulder whispered. Curiosity overtook her, and Cynthia had to see what was so fascinating. Mulder noticed her approaching and started to panic. If she saw this, what would she think? That he was a criminal? 

"Whatcha working on there, sweetie? Something wrong?" Cynthia patted him on the shoulder and bent to look at his screen. Mulder pinched his eyes shut and held his breath. What would she do? "Aw, it's okay, sugar. That happens all the time." Mulder peeked out at the screen. There it was, as it always had been, teal background, intrusive logos and icons and all. A gray box protested against the sea color behind it, saying ERROR and more, but after 'error', he didn't understand a word. 

"Here, press this and this at the same time, and you should be able to get back what you were working on." Cynthia gave his hand a quick squeeze as she pointed out the correction process. Even after she had keyed in the right sequence to return him to where he had originated, the words didn't come back. Instead, a long document on the importance of determining population growth over time in third world countries popped up. Mulder faked a relieved smile, and thanked her under his breath. She winked and walked away. 

[I TOLD YOU.] 

Fingers shaking, Mulder typed his response, as he was unable to think of any other way to communicate. 

[What do you want?] 

[IT'S WHAT YOU WANT, MULDER. IT'S WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED.] 

Without hesitation, Mulder typed in his response. The first word that sprang to his mind... 

[The truth.] 

[IT'S ONLY A QUESTION OF WHEN AND WHERE.] 

[Now and here.] 

[SOONER THAN THAT AND MUCH CLOSER.] 

Mulder held his breath again. Before he agreed to what could only be another dead end, he needed to know to whom he was talking. So many hours had already been wasted on wild goose chases, net searches that ended without revelation. Was this the one? 

[Can I say who you are? Are you who you say?] 

A pause. 

[DON'T TALK. THE TIME FOR THAT IS OVER. THE REAL QUESTION IS: DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT I'VE TOLD YOU...WHAT I TOLD YOU WHILE YOU SAT IN THAT ARMCHAIR? DO YOU BELIEVE?] 

The answer was simple. It was 'yes'. But it was too hard to just agree. He wanted to say it. Instead, he said what fit the situation, what made sense for him to say. 

[I want to believe.] 

[THEN I...WE'LL BE SEEING YOU. SHORTLY. TIME TO GIVE THE LIBRARY GIRL WHAT SHE'S BEEN AFTER ALL THESE WEEKS, YES?] 

Mulder chuckled and nodded, which seemed to be all the reply necessary. As soon as he had finished the gesture, the computer screen swirled away and shut itself off. He stood, slowly, unsure whether or not to follow this suggestion. 

"Finished already? Oh, then you're all done with your research?" Cynthia sounded disappointed, but she put a good face on it. It was clear that she would miss her regular customer, but she felt obligated to celebrate his success as a friend. Mulder smiled, which prompted her to smile back. 

"I feel like a big breakfast. I'm still new in town. Think you could help me out? My treat?" Cynthia's smile brightened considerably. In record time, she scribbled a note excusing her from work. They still had five minutes until the library officially opened, and still, they were the only people present, besides the cleaning crew. No one was around to object, and they stepped out unmolested. 

************************ 

"This is such a great little place to stop and go. I come here whenever I can." Cynthia prattled on, so Mulder tuned her out. To whatever she asked, the answer was invariably 'uh-huh' or 'uh-uh', which he could handle without too much trouble. His eye kept scanning the immediate area for some sign of the people he had come to meet. How had they...no, how had Neo known about Cynthia? Did it matter? Not compared to the truth...the truth was all that mattered. 

Was the truth what Neo had told him, though? The story was unbelievable. Neo had to be more tight-lipped than any of his previous inside sources, and considering that most of them had been killed because of leaking information, Neo was the best off. Yet, despite his comfortable ability to evade the law, Neo was mum on the particulars, the details he wanted to hear the most. 

The story wasn't much different from what he had already learned through all his years working on the X-Files. The surface world was a lie, a lie covering something severe underneath, something secret. He had believed it to be a covert government, but Neo had laughed at that idea, but he hadn't elaborated too much beyond that. The world was fake, according to Neo, but more so than Mulder could imagine. And to discover the real world, one had to see to believe, a concept Mulder had no trouble accepting. He believed, concrete evidence or no, witnesses or no, so faith was definitely his forte. 

That faith had lead him to the X-Files. The X-Files had lead him to Neo and his friends, although indirectly, and now, finally, Neo would lead him to the truth. 

"I'd like a croissant." Mulder shook himself from his reverie. He looked up to place his order after Cynthia. But she wasn't there. In place of the chipper, tanned, blonde woman, stood a recognizable, dour, pale, dark, and altogether stoic woman. A woman whose form he had admired once before. 

"Trin..." His words were a catalyst, and she spun to cover his mouth before he could finish. From the corner of his eye, Mulder saw Cynthia gasp. 

"What are you doing?" Trinity dropped her hand from Mulder's mouth and turned to face this intruder. 

"Nothing. Your friend here just happened to almost shoot himself in the foot. Happy to be of service, see you later." Trinity smiled and walked away, slowly enough for Mulder to catalog her direction and memorize it. The hint was taken. He had to get rid of Cynthia without being too obvious about doing so. 

"Just a friend of mine, trying to get me into trouble more than anything else." Mulder smiled sheepishly. Cynthia smiled, and placed her own order. Eating quickly, Mulder made as polite a conversation as he could have, given the circumstances. As dates went, Mulder had to consider those ten minutes some of the best of his life, which didn't say much. Having little to no experience with good-byes, Mulder decided to scratch out a note on a napkin for Cynthia and made his escape while she was detained in the ladies room. 

************************ 

"What took you so long?" Neo crossed his arms and leveled 'the look' at Mulder as he approached the car. Inside, despite the tinted windows, Mulder could identify two silhouettes. 

"I thought the idea was not to attract attention." Neo nodded. 

"Want to see a magic trick, Mulder?" Mulder sighed and let him go ahead. "Watch." Neo held out his hand, palm up to show it to Mulder. He closed his fingers into a fist. After a minute, he opened it again. Resting in his hand was a red pill. Mulder stared at it, the contents of the pill fascinating him beyond the simplicity of the trick he had just seen performed. A fire burned in liquid form and was contained within the shell of the pill. Mulder wanted to touch it, to feel it, to know whether it would set his fingers burning. 

"Take it, and let's go." Pulling Mulder's hand out, Neo dropped the pill and waited. Mulder nearly let the pill fall out of his hands. Once he had a grip on both himself and the pill, Mulder swallowed it dry. Satisfied, Neo opened the back door to reveal Scully sitting right inside, her eyes fastened upon her partner. 

He looks so pale...so thin...Scully scoured Mulder's visage with interest. What had he been through? Was it worth it? Neo had come back for her. Didn't it stand to reason that he would have done the same, eventually, for Mulder too? Mulder hadn't thought so, apparently. She slid over to let him sit, while Neo climbed into the front. 

"All ready?" Neo smiled as pleasantly as possible, a response that seemed out of place with the gun he kept on them. Trinity started the car, and they were off. 

************************ 

The ride passed without a word. Neo and Trinity, the only two people in the car who might have been capable of speech, remained silent. Not to say that Scully hadn't detected some unspoken signals between the two over the trip. Though, in reality, the trip was short, it was decades later that they reached their destination. Throughout the entire journey, Scully fought to keep her sanity by playing games, her favorite being "guess what they're saying" using Trinity and Neo. Every gesture they made toward one another was broken down. A sideways glance from Trinity meant that she was only checking up on the situation that the necessities of driving kept her from observing more closely. A sideways and lingering glance from Neo meant either that he wanted to check to see if he was doing right, to gauge their next move from her reactions, or most simply to satisfy some dirty fantasy. 

That last explanation was the most humorous; thus she stuck with it. Scully killed the majority of the time trying to imagine Neo and Trinity together, trying to figure out how either one would possibly make any sort of romantic overture to the other. Neo was mired in his sarcasm and occasional mystery, and Trinity emoted nothing but confidence, menace, and power. Strange, then, that it should be Neo to whom Trinity showed deference. Sort of, Scully smiled. 

"We're here, folks." Neo waved his gun to the door, indicating to Mulder that he should open it. Mulder did so, and everyone piled out of the car. Mulder stood next to Scully, not ready to talk to her, but not wanting to leave her either. They might have been separated for almost a month, but they were still closer to one another than either was to Trinity or Neo. 

Proceeding from here was simple enough. They were back at 115 Lake Avenue. Neo followed behind the agents, who were following Trinity's lead. After three flights, the irritating ringing of a high-frequency cell phone interrupted the silence. Trinity stopped on a landing and whipped out her phone from a pocket inside the lining of the back of her jacket. She didn't speak but only listened. If Scully had had to guess, she'd say that the expression on Trinity's face was closest to alarm or panic. Neo pulled up closer, two guns now in his hands, all his joviality gone. 

"They're closing in, Neo. They must be bugged." Trinity leveled an accusing glare at the two FBI agents. Neo shot up between the pair and shoved them apart. Mulder hit the railing of the stairs and had to steady himself to keep from falling over. Scully collided with the wall, letting out a yelp of surprise. Neo placed one of his handguns back into a hip holster, and with his free hand, he began to pat Scully down. As Mulder moved to pull Neo away, Trinity came from behind to hold him back. 

"What are you doing?" Scully whimpered. Fear seized her vocal chords and froze her muscles. Neo paid her gasps no mind and continued to run his hand along her body. Afraid more of the 'bug' than of Neo, Scully let him finish his sweep. He seemed particularly interested in her abdomen. When he stopped his light probe, Neo turned to shake his head at Trinity. 

"Not her." Trinity nodded and kicked Mulder's knees out from under him. For the moment he was stunned, Trinity had full access to search him. Her examination proved likewise futile. A question flared in her glance at Neo. Scully stood against the wall, working to eradicate her fear so she could think logically. If they had been bugged, where and when could it have taken place? 

"This...this bug...is it internal?" Neo looked up with sudden interest at Scully. After he confirmed her question with a nod, Scully paled considerably. Her nervous fingers crept along her throat and made their way to the back of her neck. Neo followed their tense dancing movements and watched realization crawl over her face. "My implant..." No more words were necessary. Neo tossed his weapon over his shoulder, which Trinity caught amidst trying to help Mulder to his feet. 

"Turn around," Neo commanded, and Scully did as he asked. The unmistakable sound of a switchblade opening awoke her panic. 

"No, you can't...I'll die if you take that out..." Scully pleaded as the cold metal grazed her skin. 

"The only way you're going to die is if I leave it in." And then there was no more coldness of the steel...it was only the warmth of blood. Light pressure and the sensation of something digging at her neck, and then it was over. Any trace of blood was missing when she put her hand to the wound a second later. Neo threw the blade away, waiting for Scully to recover. The definite plink of the blade hitting the floor disturbed her concentration, and Scully refocused on Neo. 

"I don't understand." 

"You're not meant to, not yet. We need to get you both out of here." Trinity nodded her assent, released Mulder, and vaulted up the last flights of stairs with the innate grace of a cat, only twice as nimble and three times as fast. Mulder and Scully barely had time to take it all in before a huge crash came from below. Jumping into alertness, Neo bent over the railing to check on the situation. 

"Go! Get out of here! Follow Trinity. I'll be right behind you." Mulder took off without a word, but Scully hesitated. As Neo made an insanely impossible leap off the railing, she watched the lights below. There had to be at least ten lights, which meant there were at least ten men down there, maybe more. What good was Neo going to do? 

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Neo barked as he fell. Scully turned and ran. In a far corner of her mind, she knew that Neo should be dead, yet she had complete confidence that she'd see him again. With that thought driving her, Scully made it to the landing where the humming of machines began to drown out the preliminary shots fired floors below. This was the same floor they had been on earlier, so Scully didn't hesitate; she flew through the first room, not giving the armchairs or the fireplace a second glance. Her path was direct to the second room. 

"Mulder?" Scully burst in half-expecting to see he and Trinity had been captured despite Neo's desperate act. Instead, her eyes fell upon her partner sitting nervous, but quite alive, in a strange, chair-like contraption. Trinity buzzed about, attaching nodes to major pulse zones. Scully watched for a second then moved to help. 

"Here?" Scully held up one of the wires, and Trinity nodded to the place on his arm to which she gestured. 

"You're a doctor, I forgot." Trinity smiled lightly, a smile which Scully returned. Mulder regarded Trinity with a look of skeptic disbelief, at which Scully had to laugh. Mulder could believe anything, but Trinity smiling was too much. "Are we ready, Mulder?" Mulder tried to indicate yes, but his muscles refused to make any gesture that might have conveyed that answer. 

"He's been ready for six years." Scully whispered. Trinity backed away, giving them some space to talk privately. Scully bent down to be on Mulder's level. "Hey, Fox." 

"Don't call me that." Mulder chuckled tensely. 

"I know, even your parents had to call you 'Mulder'. I remember, and I'm still going to call you Fox. I think it suits you more than Mulder, especially if you're going to be a terrorist now." Scully laughed, her tension dissipating. 

"What about you, Scully? What will we call you?" 

" 'Chopped Liver' or 'Jail Bait' if we don't get out of here." Scully stood, sending Trinity a look, which Trinity returned with a nod. 

"It's time. We've got his position." Trinity took out her cell phone. While she busied herself with the recipient of the call, Mulder reached to hold Scully's hand and to give it one last squeeze before she walked over to join Trinity by the monitors. Trinity acknowledged Scully and gave her a few directions. At Mulder's "Oh my God," both women looked up. Scully gasped. A sinuous, silvery substance was slowly covering Mulder. 

"The black oil..." Trinity gave Scully a sharp look. 

"It's not what you think, Scully. You have to trust me." She looked as though she had more to say, but a new piece of information from the cell connection halted her speech. "Now, Tank." Trinity pointed to Mulder, and Scully followed her gesture. In front of her eyes, Mulder faded away. It was a quick and yet exceedingly gradual process at the same time. Time was a missing element in his disappearance. From beginning to end, Scully would have described the event as Mulder's evaporation. Simply put, that's what it was. He was there, then he was gone, and throughout he grew more and more transparent. 

"Mulder?" 

"He's gone, Scully. Not to worry, we'll be there shortly to pick him up." Trinity pushed Scully towards the chair Mulder had only recently vacated. Scully moved toward it. Trinity had to force her to sit, but after that was done, attaching the nodes was no difficult task. As she realized that the setup was almost completed, Scully felt terror crawl along her skin. 

"Where am I going?" Trinity gave Scully's hand a squeeze. 

"The real world." 

"Is that where Mulder is? Will we be safe there?" 

"Yes, and not entirely. You can back out now, Scully, but your life wouldn't be worth betting on if we left you here for the agents." 

"Agents? Agent Jones..." Trinity smiled and nodded. 

"You're too bright to back out now, Scully. Ready?" Trinity returned to the machines, completing the setup and then waiting for Scully's signal that she was prepared. She closed her eyes, and, one deep breath later, she opened them again, this time, with determination firmly set in her expression. 

"As I'll ever be." 

End of Part 9 


	10. Chapter Ten

Title: The Answer Is Out There

Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!!!

Ch. 10

Warmth. A sense of security. No one outside of a fetus had ever felt this swimming, floating, warm sense of safety. No one could. This place, the soft pink of her surroundings, was a strangely sinister haven. Not knowing made the protection of this tub feel more like the claustrophobic embrace of a python.

After an indeterminable length of time, Scully decided that she had had enough of this enclosure. Paranoia, a built-in, last-resort mechanism, told her that this was not a safe place to be. As soon as she dared, Scully opened her eyes and kept them open long enough to search for an exit. Through blurred sight, she could see nothing directly above her; the top was an opening into darkness that revealed no obstruction to impede her escape.

Pushing against the plastic covering, Scully felt enfeebled. Her arm muscles screamed of exhaustion and pain after only a few seconds. Thankfully, the sheath gave way before she passed out from exertion. Frost coated her slimy arm as it was exposed to the outside atmosphere. Scully reflexively pulled her arm back into the pink gel to avoid the chill. **You have to try, she told herself. Mustering up whatever courage she could, Scully gingerly sat up, her muscles straining at each new altitude.**

With slime sliding off her figure, Scully tried to get a grip on her situation. This place was a nightmare. Every movement left her winded, and her eyes ached, but from what, she couldn't say. As soon as her vision refocused the images around her into one clear picture, Scully was forced to grip onto the side of her tub to keep from slipping back down in the ooze. 

All the world was wrapped up in these ugly gelatinous pods, each of which contained a man or woman, all resting unperturbed by Scully's sudden consciousness. Her eyes couldn't track all the movements, but one rapidly moving object drew her straying gaze. A strange, bug-like black...thing was approaching. It drew nearer, knowing to home in on her exact position...coming closer...

There was nothing after that vision. Scully knew only that she was moving but not where to or how she was doing so. Cold, to the point of hypothermia, penetrated her body. The cold augmented with a smack against a freezing liquid that enveloped her body. Throughout the entire ride, Scully kept her eyes squeezed as tightly together as her muscles could stand. From the cold liquid came a cold metal, grasping her tightly and dragging her, or rather, just keeping her from drifting along with the current. As buoyancy disappeared, Scully could feel her body being lifted from the liquid, the cold air sucking at her wet skin.

Beyond the sensations and after them, Scully realized she could hear words, coherent, though strange, conversation happening around her. The words were directions, mostly, she guessed, concerning her.

"Is she okay?" A caring voice crossed the barrier that prevented thoughts from connecting to her muscles. Her eyelids willingly fluttered open to seek the speaker. All she was greeted with was a blinding, brilliant light, between the rays of which she could make out oblique lines of inanimate and moving objects alike. One moving figure melted out of the light, taking on shade and character as it entered her limited scope of clear vision. What looked like arms reached out to adjust her position and to lift her, this time very gently, up off the surface on which she had been lying. Scully, on the verge of fainting, leaned all her wait against the warm body that now held her. Sensing her fatigue, the figure spoke in assuring tones to soothe her into a sleep that would help alleviate her exhaustion.

"It's alright, Scully. You're safe, and the answers will be waiting for you when you wake up." Taking the suggestion from both her savior and her tired body, Scully slipped into unconscious, dreamless sleep.

*************************

**Maybe it wasn't a dreamless night after all, Scully mused as she revived from her restoring rest. In her mind, images of strange medical procedures, such as she had not even remembered experiencing since her abduction, danced around visions she had of their former case study and his cohorts...only they were different. Gone were the black clothes and airs of superiority, and in their place were pale-faces and ratty sweaters. Scully didn't know how much to believe, but none of what she saw seemed false. How could she be sure?**

**If you get up and go look for yourself, stupid. With that kick from her stubborn determination, Scully opened her eyes and sat up. Her surroundings were dark, her clothes were, indeed, ratty and torn, but the frosty air didn't hold the same chill. An artificial warmth combined with a dry outfit kept her comfortable. As she sat up and kicked her legs over the edge of the cot she had been placed on, Scully realized that none of the muscle fatigue greeted her swift movements. How had that changed? Why had she been weak in the first place?**

**And what the fuck is this thing in my arm!?! Scully turned an alarmed gaze to the strange IV stuck into a...metal hole in her arm. Excitedly, she ripped at the tubing attached to a sterile saline bag, painfully but immediately removing the unwanted protruding needle from her arm. Panic subsided momentarily as Scully made sure no other attachments had been made. The echoing of footsteps revived her alarm, especially when the footsteps were approaching her door. This apprehension proved founded when the door creaked open after a jerking turn of the wheel lock.**

"Good morning, Scully." 

"Neo?" A sly and yet modest smile tickled his lips as he let her appreciate his different appearance. His hair had a different cut to it, but it was about the same length. His dirtied and scruffy appearance made him look thin, even emaciated, and weak; in short, this Neo evoked none of the awe and fear that he had in the place she had left. This man was Neo, for certain, but he was more like a Neo from another world than the Neo she had gotten to know.

"Yeah, I know. It takes some getting used to...wasn't that long ago it was my turn at this." Neo offered her his hand, gripping her by the arm to pull her up to her feet. "How's about we go see about some breakfast?" Scully warmed to Neo's friendly overtures, but the squeezing feeling of uncertainty kept her feet firmly planted and determined not to move.

"Where's Mulder?" The color fell from Neo's face at her question, and he dropped his gaze to his shoes.

"I suppose I should've figured you'd want to see him first. This way then," Neo offered her his arm to support her shaky legs. Taking his help gracefully, Scully walked through the door into more of this unknown world.

*************************

"I don't know why he's taking this so poorly. This dehydration is most unusual..." The snippet of conversation died as they rounded the corner. A tall black man stood on one side of what looked like a hospital bed crossed with a computer. Only after she turned her head was Trinity recognizable. She stood with her back to Neo and Scully and once she ascertained who had arrived, her attention was turned right back to the figure lying sprawled on the table before her.

"She wants to see him." The other man nodded and walked around the table to introduce himself by shaking her hand.

"Good to see you awake, Ms. Scully. My name is Morpheus. I believe you have already met Neo and Trinity. Tank may be along shortly. It is nice to have you with us." The greeting was cordial but still appropriately mysterious to suit the mood of the entire scene. Scully mechanically shook his hand and mumbled a 'hello' of her own. "Your partner is still being worked on, but if you would like, you may sit with him for a while. Perhaps you could even offer us your expert medical opinion on his condition." Scully brightened at that. At least she would be useful in some capacity.

"What is the...trouble...exactly?" Each pause was brought on by each step she took toward Mulder. His pale form was stretched out, and pins protruded from various regions of his body. As she moved to his side, Trinity walked over to join Neo. The pair whispered between themselves before disappearing to leave Scully alone. Morpheus, however, stayed to observe her reactions, in part to reassure himself that this woman was handling her new world as well as she seemed to be handling it.

"Mulder has a history of problems with dehydration. We've been involved in several cases where he has almost died because of it. Pumping more saline into him never permanently helps. You need to supply him with vital hormones to maintain homeostasis. Usually increasing vital digestive and carrier proteins in his blood stream will bring the problem under control." Morpheus nodded and began tapping various monitors all around Mulder's bed. Scully's eye scanned for a readout that would indicate that the proper doses of proteins were being administered.

"Trinity mentioned that you were a medical doctor. I can see that you will be very useful aboard this ship." Scully snapped her head up at his words.

"Ship? We're on board a ship?"  
"That is correct. This is my hovercraft, the Nebuchadnezzar. Don't worry about much more than that. All will be explained in due time. Thank you for your help. It is much appreciated. Now, if you would like to eat, the mess hall is down that corridor, third set of steps down, first door on your right. It's there if you want to go find it." Scully followed his gesture and nodded. 

"I think I will."

*************************

Scully felt her way along, using the directions that Morpheus had given her as a shining guide to the mess hall. This adventure would be enough for today. Maybe then she could go back to her room and ponder the whole change over. The first door on her right...

"Oh, excuse me." Scully covered her mouth to hide both her slack jaw and a hint of a smile. The door had swung open to reveal Neo and Trinity sitting close to one another. Upon her entrance, they separated slightly. Neo covered his surprise with a smile and an invitational gesture for her to sit.

"Not a problem, Scully. Can I get you something to eat?" Nodding, Scully closed the door and took a seat opposite Trinity. A pink tickle of color crept along Trinity's cheek even as she smiled her greeting to Scully. Neo busied himself in dispensing the slop from its tubes into a small bowl. He grabbed a spoon and plopped the dish in front of Scully. Noticing her aversion to the slimy substance, Neo laughed and dropped in beside Trinity.

"Hey, I know it looks terrible, but look at how much Trin here likes it," Neo demonstrated by taking a spoon full of food and pushing it into Trinity's mouth. Trinity gagged and fought to swallow the food without choking, much to Scully's amusement. Laughter bubbled into Scully's throat and soon the whole table was enjoying the joke, even Trinity.

"I hope that moment of personal embarrassment helps, Scully. If not, I'm gonna hear about it for a week!" Neo rolled his eyes, and Trinity gave him a jab to the shoulder for his comment. Scully covered her grin with a mouthful of food. Satisfied, Neo stood up and gave Scully's shoulder a squeeze as he reached the door. "I gotta go relieve Tank from monitor duty. I'll see you two later." From the edge of her vision, Scully caught Neo's wink, an action directed at Trinity, who bit her lip to keep from grinning. As Neo left, Scully watched Trinity's eyes. They followed Neo's exiting figure, and her teeth kept gnawing on her lower lip.

**Looks like Mulder was right about them after all. Trinity noticed Scully staring at her and raised an eyebrow in question.**

"What?" Scully donned her most sympathetic and innocent mask. Trinity's smile twisted into a smirk.

"Things aren't always what they seem, Scully. I would've thought you of all people would have understood that." Trinity finished the rest of her bowl, but she didn't stand up until Scully took the hint and did the same. "Better?" Trinity asked as Scully shoved her last bite into her mouth.

"This food can't get any worse, so I'll say yes to that." Trinity laughed and took the empty bowl and spoon from Scully. As she stood up, Scully accidentally allowed her shock to get the better of her. "Jesus!" Trinity spun, alert and ready for trouble, dropping the dishes as she did. 

"What? What's wrong?" Immediately, Scully fell into a fit of hysterical, embarrassed laughter. As soon as she could manage, she pointed a shaky finger to Trinity's abdomen. Trinity's own eyes fell to that region of her body. Realizing what Scully had been indicating, Trinity started to chuckle even as that same pink blush crept back onto her pallid visage. They giggled together at Scully's astonishment and Trinity's clumsiness as Trinity bent to retrieve her dishes. After the laughter died out, Scully was able to speak.

"I guess that settles the question."

"What question?"

"Mulder asked me if I thought you and Neo were..." It was Scully's turn to redden under Trinity's gaze. "If I thought you two were...an item." Trinity's composure returned, but her concentration on the current conversation evaporated. With a sigh, Scully couldn't help but feel both happy for and jealous of Trinity. It was clear that the stoic woman's mind had wandered back to the man who had only recently left. Contentedly, Trinity walked over to the sink, one hand full of dishes, the other gently drumming on her mildly swollen abdomen.

"I'm surprised you could even tell."

"I'm a medical doctor, Trinity. I've found that it helps to be observant. I've used it more than once in my work." Trinity stiffened at that and left the dishes to soak and returned to sit across the table from Scully. A look of both fascination and trepidation crossed her serene face.

"Scully, I have seen a lot of things in my time, but I've heard you've seen even more. I wanted to ask you about it before, but there wasn't time. We have time now." Scully nodded then shook her head.

"What do you mean? How much time do we have? And until what?"

"Once you're safe on the outside, you can spend months doing little to nothing. Believe me, I know." Trinity sneered and stood to pour a drink for Scully and some water for herself. Scully slurped at her drink, coughing on its potency. As she wiped her mouth with her hand, a thought that pricked at the back of her neck. Scully had always had an uncanny internal clock. Now it was telling her that a long time had passed since she had previously been awake.

"How long was I out?" Trinity smiled over her cup.

"You are perceptive, I must admit."

"That thing...the table...what you're still doing to Mulder...how long?" 

"You haven't missed your hair much, have you? I suppose a woman such as yourself has little care for the trivialities of appearance." Scully's hand drifted to her head. Instead of her usual cap of red, there was only a slight fuzz under her fingertips. "It'll grow back, if that's any consolation." Scully looked up horrified at Trinity. Her panic subsided as she devoured Trinity's features. Trinity's hair was pulled back, she hadn't noticed that before. Pulled back, it looked almost as short as it had when they had met 'inside', wherever that was. Seeing the direction of her gaze, Trinity laughed and pulled out her hair clip, letting her black locks fall onto her shoulders.

"See? That's proof enough, right?" Scully laughed and shook her head.

"You were going to tell me how long?"

"Four months."

"You're bullshitting me." Trinity smiled across the table.

"The process of rebuilding your body takes long arduous hours of work and concentration. You are a medical doctor, so just think about it." Scully closed her eyes and took deep breaths to steady her mind. "Do you remember where you first woke up after you left...after you disappeared from Chicago?" Scully nodded as the pictures returned to her. The pink ooze surrounding her body, the frigid cold that accosted her skin...it was too close to the surface...and it had been four months ago?

"That pod is where you have spent the first thirty some-odd years of your life." A constricting feeling crept into Scully's chest. A sense of claustrophobia condensed around that memory.

"I don't understand. Why was I there?" Scully opened her eyes to banish the image.

"That will be explained in time, I promise. The point is that you were there, immobile for all of your life. You tell me, Dr. Scully, what happened to your muscles after all those years?"

"They would grow weak...die off from lack of use."

"Correct. In your world, or rather, the world as you know it, that atrophy can only be corrected by extensive physical therapy, if at all." Scully nodded again. The logic, the sound method of medical logic still made sense in this place.

"Then those treatments I can barely remember...your brand of physical therapy?"

"Yes, that and much more. We not only work to restore the musculature but to accustom the heart to a life of activity. Routine but necessary." Trinity almost sounded flippant about the commonness of this knowledge. Scully fell back on her training to absorb this information. Trinity mercifully offered no more new information with which to confuse her. While the pieces arranged themselves as best they could with the gaps still existing, Scully watched Trinity return to scrubbing the dishes. 

"This is much more confusing than all my years working on the X-Files. God, I never thought I'd say that." Trinity chuckled.

"Tell me, and let me be the judge." 

"It's a long story. It starts out kind of trite, though." Trinity laughed again.

"Go on."

"Well, the story begins with a boy and a girl, who are assigned to work together, and well, from there it's pretty formulaic even with all the monsters." Trinity had to stop her chores to keep from dropping the dishes. "Like I said, it's all cliched. Just another made-for-TV-movie. Boy meets girl, etc."

"I take offense at that. That's pretty much how Neo and I met, thank you very much." It was Scully's turn to giggle. 

"Well at least your story had a happy ending. Mulder and I have never...well, you know. But never mind about that. I guess I should be glad that someone else has...not been as preoccupied as I." Trinity laughed heartily, clutching her sides as she listened to Scully ramble. Scully embellished, truly enjoying making fun of herself. "No, seriously, I am as pathetic as they come. The last guy I slept with tried to kill me because his tattoo told him to do it." Trinity collapsed onto the bench at the table, her breath existing only in gasps between spasms of laughter.

"Oh, God, I have to hear more of these stories." Scully smiled as a wicked idea was born in her mind. Growing from a desire to be of use, Scully's idea branched out. There could be give and take.

"You will." Scully let the sentence die toward the end, pricking Trinity's interest.

"But? I pride myself on being perceptive, Scully. What's the condition?"

"You're pregnant."

"That's a condition? I meant a condition as it pertains to a bargain." Scully kept her smile.

"I know, that's what I meant. How many months now?" Trinity's cheeks colored. 

"Six, six and a half." Checking her surprise, Scully managed to keep her reserve.

"Then here's the deal. You want to hear some more anecdotes and...you need a doctor. A real, licensed, medical doctor." Trinity almost made an argument, but instead, she nodded and extended a hand to Scully. Scully shook it.

"You have a deal, Doctor."

End of Part 10


	11. Chapter Eleven

Title: The Answer Is Out There

Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!!!

Ch.11

Exhaustion had never been a stranger to Scully. Since before her days at the FBI, sleepless nights and long hours were her friends. This type of exhaustion was different. It was the strangest, most confused brand of tiredness, one she couldn't even identify. Her mind raced, trying to absorb new information at a fury pace and place it in some semblance of logic. Not that it was working, but she kept trying.

Then there were the exercises she had been put through. The technical aspect of the odd "downloads" she had endured was wasted on Scully, but the effects were real enough. Day one of the training had started out soft and ended with a complete sucker punch to her confidence. The new techniques, things she knew and could do were astounding. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Scully knew that there was an explanation for this process. The downloaded information was impressed upon her brain in such a complete manner as to suggest somehow these outsiders had found a way to utilize the remaining eighty-five to ninety percent of brain mass that would have not have been used otherwise. That explanation worked well, and Scully had yet to see it proved wrong, so she clung to it.

Part of the exhaustion, part of what made it so strange was that she would exercise for hours and when she woke up she was sore, as the hours training should and did bruise her, but she also woke to a new stiffness, the rigidity of sitting completely still for all those hours.This dichotomy wrecked her internal balance for the first few weeks and left her in this perpetual state of tiredness for the weeks afterwards. The crew never seemed to notice. Scully had watched Neo get up from a session, head straight for the mess hall, then come back to repeat the whole session over with Mulder without so much as a pause.

Mulder. He was looking much better, day-by-day. Since observing Scully's proficiency in medical knowledge and skill, Morpheus had appointed her as Mulder's physician, and emergency doctor...just in case. Scully hadn't minded, neither had Mulder, and slowly, he had recovered. The religious awe with which Mulder absorbed all the crew had to share was frightening to Scully, but she had never really expected anything else from her partner. The sense of truth in what they had been told left nothing to question. There weren't any doubts that Morpheus was holding back or making up one grandiose lie to cover an even more grandiose truth

The little personal attachments were working well. Morpheus seemed to be like the big brother of the entire group, and it was clear that the rest of the ship both loved and respected him. Tank had revealed himself as something of a practical joker, as well as an all around good-humored man. He was the only one aboard, as far as Scully had seen, that didn't possess the multiple steel holes in his person. Eventually, Scully planned to ask, but for now, even after all this time, she was content to leave things as they were.

Trinity and Neo were definitely sweet on one another, but not in so sickening a way as to be annoying. Mostly, they were rather private about their love, rarely sharing much more than a quick kiss in front of the others. Scully had to keep from laughing every time she saw them together because of something Mulder had commented one day.

_"My best friend in high school used to say something about couples who aren't big on public displays of affection."_

_"And what would that be?"_

_"He always said that they must be screwing one another's brains out so much behind closed doors that holding hands is all they can manage to do afterwards...or without going at it again."_

Regardless of Mulder's assumption, Scully appreciated Neo and Trinity's reserve. It made her own painful lack of a relationship less obvious. Trinity had gotten to be Scully's best friend among the crew, especially as they worked together in a doctor-patient capacity. Of all the crew, Trinity's personality in the real world was the closest to her work personality. She was silent, asking the right questions when necessary, making a joke or two in front of Mulder, and always following orders she was given. It made Scully's job that much easier. Trinity tended to be more open with her doctor, and, Scully suspected, with Neo, but otherwise, she was the Trinity that Scully and Mulder had first known.

Compared to Trinity, Neo was nearly an open book, which wasn't saying much. His face could be as serene and blank or as expressive as he chose. Neo was pretty mum about something Scully could only guess at. Whatever it was seemed to embarrass him, but otherwise, Neo was pretty open, answering most of Scully's questions. He had even told her about his own experience with implants, what he called a bug. The horrific description alone was enough to make Scully thank her lucky stars that these AIs had only set up a phony abduction for her.

One day, she had managed to work most of the truth from him surrounding the events outlined in their former investigation.

"What exactly did happen, Neo?" Neo explained the circumstances that lead up to the clash at the Heart O'the City hotel, with Scully taking mental notes, checking his story against the facts. When it came to the actual shooting, Neo slowed his train of thought, as if he had to be careful what to tell Scully. 

"Yeah, that was me." Neo toed a grating in the floor, concentration on wedging his boot between the wires instead of looking Scully in the eye. Scully didn't want to push, especially if the moment was painful, but the pressing need to know overrode her politeness.

"How did you escape? If these agents had you pinned down, not to mention mortally wounded, why would they let you get to the phone?" Neo never took his eyes off the floor.

"I didn't die. I made it, does it matter how?"

"It does to me. I'm sorry if this isn't your favorite subject, but it could be important."

"You could say that," Neo muttered lowly, which Scully barely caught. When he spoke up, his words lacked all sincerity and that sense of truth that she had become accustomed to hearing. "I beat them...enough to get around them. Maybe they were off that day. 'Scuse me, Scully." Neo walked away, not bothering to actually wait for Scully's permission or okay. As she watched him leave, Scully could see some immense strain and tenseness in his upper shoulders. What had made him so upset?

"Neo's not comfortable talking about that particular incident, Miss Scully." She turned to see Morpheus coming up from another corridor, wiping his hands on an old rag.

"Mind if I ask why?" Morpheus shook his head.

"Not at all. I'd be happy to tell you, if you'd like." Morpheus gestured for her to follow him to the mess hall, the impromptu conference hall on the Neb. It was empty, ready for this conversation. No sooner had Scully taken her seat than Morpheus had started to speak, even as he closed the door.

"Neo was at the hotel, Miss Scully..."

"Please, just Scully."

"Scully then," Morpheus smiled and took a seat opposite her. "He was there...no, that won't do." Morpheus thoughtfully scratched his chin as he tried to explain the event. Scully would believe what he had to say, but the problem seemed to be how best to say it so as not to confuse her.

"Why don't I tell you what we found and you fill in the blanks?" Morpheus nodded gratefully and gestured for her to continue. "I take it the 'exit' was at this hotel...perhaps that frayed wire in room 303?" A nod and she continued. "From our evidence, the shooter was in that room, shot twice, then advanced into the doorway to finish a full clip." Another nod. "Who was the shooter?"

"The now-defunct Agent Smith, and may he rest in hell." Morpheus grated. The name Smith had been in both their files and in the story Neo _had_ told her, the story about Morpheus' torture at the hands of that particular agent.

"Very well. So, Agent Smith shot Neo more than ten times, but Neo managed to escape, and take out Agent Smith at the same time?"

"More or less, yes."

"How? Don't expect me to buy any bullshit about Neo not being seriously wounded enough to have been slowed down. After all you've shown me about these agents, I know better. And more than that, I have other evidence. First, one bullet is more than enough to seriously injure a man's chances of escape. Second, his chances against agents were bad enough as it was. Third, Neo wasn't shot once; he was shot ten plus times. Fourth, at least six of those shots hit either major arteries or veins, judging by the blood splatter he left on the wall. Fifth, the smeared blood indicated that Neo either fell or slumped over, dragging along the wall and leaving a track of blood as he went. Sixth, if someone slumps over they are dead or close to death. Seventh, call me crazy, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that the agents didn't and wouldn't wait for Neo to recover."

"Quite perceptive," Morpheus chuckled hollowly. "You are correct, Mi...Scully. I'd like to hear your thesis on what happened first, if you don't mind." Scully stared at Morpheus with her jaw halfway open. She hadn't expected this tactic. If anything, she had thought Morpheus would have either ended the conversation or else explained everything.

"I...I don't know."

"That bothers you, doesn't it?"

"Yes...yes. It always has." Morpheus nodded and leaned closer to whisper his next words.

"Then you should know exactly how Neo feels." He leaned back, letting his words take effect. Scully's unfocused gaze fell to her lap_. Touché_. 

"I still want to know what happened." Scully was determined. She wouldn't apologize, not when she was this close.

"Neo died, Scully, just like your 'evidence' proved." That was it. No more words stole across the table from Morpheus' lips to her ears.

"What?" Nothing else came to her tongue.

"Just what I said, I'm afraid. For about two minutes or so, Neo was dead." Scully processed this revelation slowly, placing the pieces together before Morpheus could leave, stranding her with only half the mystery solved.

"How...I don't believe it." Morpheus laughed, genuine mirth in his voice.

"Funny, Neo said the same thing once. Trust me, you'll learn to eliminate that particular phrase from your repertoire...eventually."

"How?" Morpheus stopped laughing, took a deep breath and began. The entire history of the One, his life, his death, the Oracle's prophecy, and his resurrection in Neo. Scully listened, trying to suspend her incredulity. Morpheus played keen observer, not offering her anything more.

"So, now you know." 

***********************

And so she did. Scully retreated into her room, not long after, still puzzling the whole story over. Mulder passed her with a 'hey' as he headed for another session of training with Trinity. Scully looked guiltily at Trinity, but averted her eyes before the other women knew she had been looking. To her horror, Scully nearly ran right into Neo as she was going to her room. He smiled, and apologized, made some flippant remark about the cramped nature of the ship, and headed to the monitors to help Trinity. He made no signal to indicate that he was still thinking about what they had discussed earlier.

Scully watched his retreating form with a newfound awe, one that might have even rivaled her partner's. Everything Morpheus had told her said that Neo was some almost god-like force in the matrix, but on the outside, he seemed to be ashamed of what he could do. Why? Scully couldn't fathom a reason. She made a mental note to mention it to Mulder later.

Right now, she needed to think this out.

***********************

"Scully? You missed lunch, so I thought I'd drop by to see if you were okay." Trinity's voice was tender and full of concern, calling to Scully from the door. Scully sat up on her bed, waving at Trinity to come in. Trinity closed the door and took a seat at the edge of Scully's bed.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this when I signed on?" Without a question, Trinity knew what Scully meant. 

"You weren't ready. I don't think you are now."

"This is important. I can't be much help if I don't know these things, and there is little point to me being here if I can't help."

"On the contrary, you've helped a lot without knowing everything. And Morpheus told you, didn't he? Isn't that enough?" Scully sighed, her irritation subsiding. Yes, Trinity was right. It hadn't been her place, regardless of whether she had been ready to hear or not.

"So, I know now. Why don't you fill me in on the rest?" Trinity spread her arms wide, an open gesture.

"What do you want to know?" Scully closed her eyes and thought about it for a moment.

"Start from the beginning, I guess."

"Which beginning do you mean?" Scully's open flipped open with an irritated glare that she leaved at Trinity.

"What's with you? Why can't you just answer my goddamned question!?!" Trinity's eyes narrowed, focusing on Scully like she was the lowliest bug on the ship."Because you're asking really sensitive questions about the man I love, that's why. I have every right to question your motives. If Neo doesn't want to share, he doesn't have to. If I don't, I won't. Understood?" Scully nodded, still rankled. "Try asking for exactly what you want to know and I'll decide whether or not you should hear it." Scully stared at Trinity in surprise. There had to be a question that would throw Trinity off enough for her to spill something accidentally...anything...

"Why do you love Neo? Is it because he's this One person?" Shock and hurt were plain on Trinity's face. As soon as she had said it, Scully regretted it. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm still trying to get my mind around the implications of this...I mean, this is more unusual than even everything else so far." Trinity worked on summoning a faint smile.

"You're not doing so bad, Scully. Just give it time."

"I just don't understand how he can do what he can...and just because. There's no explanation?"

"Not as yet."

"Damn." Trinity's smile crept a little wider.

"Believe me, I know that feeling only too well." Scully sighed and threw up her hands.

"Then I give up. I guess I'll have to adopt Mulder's live-and-let-live policy." Trinity chuckled once.

"Mulder wasn't too much better when Morpheus told him. He found out before you, Scully, but his reaction was pretty much the same." Scully joined in with the pleasant, soft laughter.

"I guess it's Neo's appearance. Mulder has a hard time giving handsome guys their due. You should've seen his description of the vampire sheriff we ran into." Trinity looked at Scully with uncomprehending surprise and mirth. "Mulder insisted he had huge buck teeth, mostly, I think, because I kinda liked him. Mulder had to tease." Trinity smiled and nodded. "On the other hand, it must be a pretty good disguise. No one would think twice about Neo." Trinity's smile morphed to a smirk.

"You'd be surprised what he's capable of." Scully stifled a laugh at that hidden meaning.

"So, will we ever get to see it, or are we just supposed to believe?"

"What would it take to convince you?"

"I'm good right now, so let's take it easy on me, okay?"

"Not a chance, Scully. We're taking you back inside." Scully paled at the thought. The world she had called home for the past few months was more comforting than the world she had known for thirty years. The thought of returning scared her.

"Why? What can I do there?"

"That's not the issue. The Oracle wants to see you and your partner. She does not request to see everyone, Scully. This is special." Scully blinked at Trinity. As she did, an entirely different image came to mind; Trinity was replaced with a new vision, brought on by an intuitive leap.

"You've been to see her." Trinity nodded, almost pleased. "So have Neo, and Morpheus too, right?" Trinity smiled, all the confirmation Scully needed. "They're important. You're important. What am I?" Trinity's smile disappeared, but her friendly aura did not. She said only one more word before she left, one word to reassure Scully, to answer her question. Scully repeated the answer to herself after Trinity had left.

"What am I?" She asked again. Trinity's answer stood alone, without explanation.

"Vital."

End of Part 11


	12. Chapter Twelve

The Answer Is Out There Ch. 12

Disclaimer: Three words: THEY'RE NOT MINE!!!!! Add to that I SWEAR!!! And I think we have a deal, right?

"So, you're sure your license is up to date and all, right? Right?" Mulder climbed into the backseat of the classic black car, taking the seat directly behind the passenger's seat, which Neo currently occupied. Morpheus had the car on the road without much more than a smile at that remark. Neo covered a snicker. Mulder relaxed against his seat. Somehow, he'd figured this to-do would be a lot more unnerving. Instead, he found himself rather enjoying this little excursion. It was his first back into the Matrix, and Mulder couldn't help but find it almost quaint.

This had been his world once, the world that was now so distant, so obviously false to his trained eyes. At times, he imagined himself savvy enough to see the pixilated edges that screamed computer-generated, such as could be seen when one used a computer within the Matrix. _Don't be an ass, Mulder_. He could almost hear Scully's voice. Yes, thinking he could do that was rather egotistical. And yet…the man who could? Down to earth in all the ways that Mulder had ever been out in space.

_Speaking of the One…_Mulder leaned closer to Neo's shoulder; the movement in the corner of his eye attracting Neo's gaze toward Mulder.

"Something bothering you, Mulder?" Neo appeared semi-serious. Mulder decided to sit on the question he'd been about to ask. The look beneath Neo's face was…indescribable. Concentration, low-level anxiety, and some other nameless attribute floated underneath the pale nothingness that was the lack of expression on his face. Mulder was the master at the nothing look, so no emotion was missed

"Yeah, you guys mind at all if I play at radio master?" Without even hesitating in case of dissenting opinion, Mulder reached over the break in the seats and flipped the switch to ON. A plethora of static threatened to drown out the threads of a Spanish music channel, inviting Mulder to rescue the station. Neo watched him with a smirk, Morpheus with a hearty chuckle.

"Sit back, Mulder. Trust me when I say the last thing we want is to be pulled over for this horseplay. Sit!" Neo choked over his laughter as Mulder tried to sing along in broken Spanish. Neo killed the radio, and Mulder sat back with a pout.

"Hey, sorry chief. Just trying to kill the time."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Mul…" Neo didn't finish his words.

"We're here," Morpheus interjected. Mulder snapped to attention, as did, he noticed, Neo. For one brief moment, if it were possible, Mulder would have guessed that Neo paled three shades whiter. _Didn't he know where we were going?_ Of course he did. He'd been there before at least once, according to the story Mulder had been told. 

_He's afraid. No, not afraid. Cautious._ Yes, cautious was the word. Perhaps even a little angry. _About what?_ Mulder wanted to kick his own ass at that stupid question. He knew what about. _If someone had told you it was your life or your friend's, put all this responsibility on you, and willfully mislead you, how would you feel?_ A bitter rage bubbled out of his gut as the memories of times past resurfaced, memories of his constant sacrifice and endangerment under the long arm of the Secret Government. He knew what Neo felt, maybe not in the same way, but definitely to the same degree

"Mulder, Neo is going to take you up." Mulder never knew if Neo's shock registered as much as his own. Neo was going to take him up? From all he'd understood, that was reserved for Morpheus alone. _Stall, stall him until I'm recovered._

"What about Scully?" Neo recovered ahead of Mulder and answered.

"She's in the car behind us."

"What ca…" Mulder cut himself off as he saw in the rear-view mirror the second car pull in behind them. Scully emerged from the passenger's side door, and Trinity was faintly recognizable behind the wheel. With only one more look at Morpheus for confirmation, Neo nodded, accepting this task, this order, without a word of complaint or protest and exited the car. Mulder watched him for a second, and then joined him outside. 

"Fox?" Mulder spun at that call. Scully smiled, placing a finger against her lips. "Fox, he's going to take us up." Mulder's eyebrows peaked in the center of his forehead in a puzzled gaze. Neo shrugged and nodded, indicating for them to follow.

"Hope I remember which floor," he muttered as he put some distance between himself and the two former FBI agents. Scully fell into step with Mulder. The desire for revenge was too great.

"So, Dana, when did you figure that out? Neo looked pretty damn unprepared…Dana." Scully smiled, looking for all the world as if she wanted to smack him.

"Trinity said it would be safer, just in case, to call you that. I think she was just trying to spook me after all that guff I gave her." Mulder's face held the question that only Scully knew to answer. "About coming in at this time." Mulder nodded in assent, but Scully continued, only too happy to have an ear that would listen to her sound medical advice. "She's about a week or two away at most! There are no documents that say how this trip could affect her or the baby, but would she listen to the 'better-safe-than-sorry' rule? Noooooo," Scully came to the point of frustration, throwing up her hands as they reached the door Neo was holding open. A peculiar smirk on his lips let her know he had heard the whole episode. Mulder walked right in, but Neo grabbed Scully gently by the elbow to stop her for a second.

"Scully, I should think that if I knew better than to try and talk Trinity out of anything, you should have known better." The accusatory and playful smirk that Mulder was sure Neo had on could not be seen from his angle, though its existence was confirmed by a "humph!" noise from Scully. Mulder covered his grin before either one had a chance to see it.

"Good to see you again, young man." Neo's smile grew unsteady, faltering without completely disappearing from his lips at the greeting. He nodded, mumbled a 'thanks' and one 'nice to see you, too' to the blind man sitting on the lobby bench. At least Mulder had thought he was blind. _Good to see you again…maybe not…_ Mulder did not stop to examine, but he was reasonably sure that the man was, in fact, blind.

Neo made no motion to arrest their progression either, pushing ahead as ever to the elevator. Mulder followed him; Scully tailed Mulder. Mulder absorbed all the details, taking in the scrawled spray paint messages, the cracked paint, and the little orange-lighted circle that lit up when Neo pressed the elevator button_. They want this place to look more decrepit on the outside than it really is on the inside…most likely for protection._ Mulder couldn't help analyzing; it's what he'd always done for a living, for the past thirty years, before the Bureau, even. Sometimes he out-analyzed Scully, though the odds of that happening were only about twenty-ninety.

"What will she say?" Mulder hadn't realized Scully had been talking, trying to pry more information out of Neo. _Not too successfully, I see._ Neo was smiling, an enigmatic smile that Mulder had observed to be a common gesture among the crew when they were following through on orders.

"She usually says something different to everyone who sees her, as has been my experience. That's what makes us unique." Neo's smile was infectious, and Mulder had to fight the urge to wear one of his own. Scully noticed this, however, and Mulder earned an elbow to the ribs for it.

"What?" He held onto innocence as best he could.

"You know what." That said, Scully returned to her interrogation. "She may not tell the truth, but we have to guess? Figure it out? Sit down and pick it apart like Shakespeare?" No answer save for the rusty 'ding' of the elevator reaching its destination. Any hint of a previous smile had vanished from Neo's face as he stepped out into the hall. Like drones, all afraid of the same end, Mulder and Scully fell into the easy but somewhat hesitant gait of their leader.

The door Neo stopped at looked to be the only one opening to the hallway. For one second, Neo stared at it, unsure of the next course of action. _Just knock already,_ Mulder sighed inwardly. On command, Neo reached out, not to knock, as Mulder had expected, but to turn the knob. His fingers had only a chance to graze the dirtied silver metal before it completed the turn on its own. The door opened inward to reveal a woman in a dull off-white dress and shall. Her hair was pulled back in corncob braids, which were in turn pulled into a ponytail.

"Hello Neo, Mulder, Scully, welcome." She stepped to the side, and Neo gestured for the pair to precede him through the door. As he passed, Mulder heard a slightly shallow set of breaths escape Neo. _He _is_ scared…or maybe just unsure…angry?_ It was considerably annoying not to know for sure, not to be able to pigeonhole Neo. Their hostess gestured for them to move all the way inside so she could close the door.

"Neo, please, make yourself comfortable. Scully, if you would be so kind as to wait here with him. Mulder, please follow me." Scully's mouth opened, her lips forming a protest she didn't utter as Mulder swallowed his instantaneous anxiety and did as instructed. He gave his partner and Neo a slight salute as he disappeared around the corner.

From here, he was on his own. Mulder did not mind; he was rather used to lone-wolfing it, even after six plus years with Scully working with him. His guide never stopped; she practically floated through the adjoining living room where several children were all taking a nap. One little girl with blonde pixie curls peeked through half-closed eyelids at Mulder. 

"I will leave you now," his guide excused herself, gliding around Mulder while simultaneously gesturing for him to pass through a curtain of beads that only half covered the door frame. He complied with that tacit command and brushed through the beads.

The kitchen was dingy, but not dirty; it had a homey feel to it. An elderly woman was at the sink washing a thick yellow glass vase. He was tempted to clear his throat to draw her attention, but Mulder knew better_. She's some sort of prescient being. Chances are she knows I'm here._

"Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Mulder." Her voice was a gravely one, like the voice of a nice old lady as her larynx was being dragged across jagged rocks. _Tobacco_. Mulder identified the cause. As evidence, a single cigarette was smoldering in the ashtray at the sink. "I think you'd like a seat, so I'll offer you one. I'm afraid I don't have any sunflower seeds, but you are welcome to those brownies." Mulder glanced at the brownies at his elbow as he sat. _Just hope they're not spiked._

"And don't worry. I never use any artificial stimulants to make them taste that good." She laughed, a broken, scraggly noise, much like her regular voice. "Of course, it's all artificial, isn't it?" Mulder didn't care once he bit into the brownie_. I guess this Matrix isn't all bad._ Finished at the sink, the woman approached, carrying the vase, cradled in a towel as she dried it.

"Nice vase." Mulder had to resist the urge to smack himself. That was the single most stupid thing he could ever remember saying. Fortunately, the Oracle didn't seem to care.

"All for naught, I'm going to be washing it again later anyway," she sighed good-naturedly. Mulder simply watched her pull out her pack of cigarettes and light one. One long drag later, she spoke. "I'm sure I don't need to ask if you believe, Mr. Mulder."

"Believe in what? Could you please be a little more specific? Do I believe in UFOs, werewolves, psychics, and spontaneous combustion? Until lately, I would have said yes to all four and even more than that. Right about now, I'll settle for prescience." The Oracle smiled around her cigarette.

"Wise choice. But you don't always believe in it, do you Mr. Mulder?"

"Just Mulder."

"If you like. You don't always believe. How is it you think you know the difference? Think you're gifted too?"

"Not hardly. I just have a very good nose," Mulder tapped his nose for emphasis. "I'm the only person who's ever been born with the amazing ability to smell scam artists who then went to work for the government. By the time I was there three hours, I had exhausted that ability. Had to buy myself nose plugs." The Oracle laughed again, a softer sound followed by a rough cough.

"You are a character, Mulder." Mulder made a mock bow from his seat. "But then I suppose you wouldn't have stuck out if you hadn't been." The sobering, serious tone clued Mulder in to drop his joviality. 

"Is that why I was…is picked the right word? Is that why I was picked?" The Oracle seemed to smile without moving her lips. It was an action that caused shivers to plague Mulder's spine.

"You are not picked. That's not how it works. Your words and actions pick us, Mulder."

"I don't understand." Mulder's eyebrows peaked together in question.

"Oh yes you do." It was a definite statement that allowed for no refusal; Mulder ventured none. "You never once went on an assignment without thinking about who was going to be looking over your shoulder. This is just another assignment, and Morpheus, Neo, Trinity…they are just the ultimate authority to you." Mulder couldn't deny the truth of that statement and made no effort to do so.

"I want the truth."

"You want more than that, Mulder." Again, another truth that was at the core of his personality. "You want everyone to know." The Oracle squashed the butt of her cigarette in the ashtray and proceeded to light another.

"Yes? Is that it? Somehow, I got the feeling this was going to be a bit more revealing. Most of what you said is true, but it's not anything I don't know." The Oracle's eyes changed slightly as if she had willed her pupils to dilate then constrict within a fraction of a second, denying Mulder the opportunity to be certain it had happened at all.

"You know how to show everyone, Mulder. You've known for years." _Admit to that, maybe this will go somewhere._

"I make my work known, yes. I've broken a rule here or there to make sure people know, people who will be believed when the time comes to tell what they've seen." The Oracle nodded, punctuating the pause before she spoke again by inhaling deeply on her filter. The end of the cigarette, glowing red embers, held Mulder's eye away from the rest of her face. How many times had he watched the Cancer man smoke? It was impossible to even try and count. Cigarettes had gone down in his book as the signal of the evil that man represented. _Funny how the ultimate guide of this motley revolution should have the same weakness for nicotine._

"Who will continue your work now that you and your partner are no longer working for the government?"

Mulder stared. It was the only response he knew that was appropriate. His immediate feeling was best represented by his inner monologue of 'WHAT?' but he tried to keep it from showing. 

"I…never thought about that. I guess I can't do any more, huh?" The Oracle's smile transformed, picking up more mystery and unexplained knowledge with the barest flicker of movement.

"You believe that?"

"I haven't really given it a lot of thought, but yeah."

"Then I've got a surprise for you, Mulder."

****************************************

"What is taking so long?" Scully had refused to take her hostess' offered seat and had started to pace from the very second Mulder disappeared around the corner.

"Dunno." Neo didn't bother to shrug. After the tenth time she had asked, he'd given up giving her possible reasons. 'Maybe he's having trouble understanding.' Scully had shot that one down right away. Mulder was an Oxford graduate, top-notch investigator, and first-class faithful acolyte to all things pseudo-science. After the third time she had asked, Neo offered, 'maybe they're baking cookies.' That had just confused Scully, though Neo laughed until her fifth and sixth repetition of the same question.

"What could be taking him this long? Are these meetings always this long?"

"For the last time, Scully, I don't know!" Frustrated, Scully sighed and dropped onto a chair. "Good, sit. All that pacing was making me nauseated." Neo slumped back against the wall even more, relaxed as much as he could manage while in this place.

"Will she take this long when I go?" Neo groaned and mock whimpered.

"Please, for the love of Mike, change the subject." Scully cast him a wickedly amused glance.

"Very well, but remember, you asked for it." Neo shrugged and nodded. "What did she tell you exactly? I've gotten the gist of it, but I want to hear you say what." Neo surprised her with a nod of approval then a secretive smile.

"Fair question. Doesn't mean I'm going to answer it of course."

"What would it take to convince you to answer it then?"

"An act of God. Just ask her when you go in if you're that curious."

"I want to hear you say it, in your own words. I want to know what you felt about what she told you."

"Why?"

"Humor me."

"Nope."

"Fine." Neo closed his eyes, trying to forget he was here.

"What could be taking so long?"

"There isn't any chance of you stopping that any time soon, is there?" 

"Nope."

"That's what I thought. Well, then you leave me no choice but to resort to more drastic measures." Scully wondered briefly what that meant. She soon discovered that Neo's version of drastic measures was duct tape…and lots of it. He never moved toward her; he just reclined further while Scully watched her mouth being taped shut. After a painful five minutes spent separating the duct tape's adhesion to her skin and hair, Scully cast an enraged look at Neo.

"Don't you dare do that…" The duct tape returned before Scully could even come up with the 'or else' part of her threat. Neo opened his eyes to watch her fumble with the tape, laughing at her expense. He was still recovering from the whole scene when their guide reappeared.

"Scully? The Oracle will see you now." That one sentence destroyed both Neo's amusement and Scully's frustration. Both had those respective emotions replaced with anxiety, Neo's was associative, Scully's was terror at the unknown fate that might be told to her very shortly.

Scully followed silently, accepting a sympathetic 'good luck' gesture from Neo as she left. The guide stopped in the living room with Scully. The children were awake now, and it was her responsibility, or so Scully assumed, to care for them. A perfectly evil idea came to her.

"Morning everyone." The guide smiled, pleased, almost as if she had anticipated or expected Scully to speak, to plan, to avenge herself. "You know that guy in the hallway? I will give each and everyone of you candy if you can keep him out of trouble while I'm gone." They all stared at her with eyes that spoke of intelligence beyond their young years, but all were excited by the infantile anticipation of sweet rewards. 

"This way, Scully," the guide continued toward the kitchen. Scully winked at all the kids, each on the tip of his or her toes, ready to strike.

"Just tackle him a bit…in fact, he'll give up the candy, I promise." Off they darted. Scully walked through the beaded curtain, riding high on the tails of Neo's cry of "Ah! What the…?" as the kids attacked.

Walking through the curtain immediately put a damper on that high spirit. An elderly lady stood shaking her head, amused, not upset, at the sink, rinsing off some piece of glassware. Mulder was directly on Scully's left, sitting at a small table, his forehead in the hand that was leaning against the table, his other hand clutching his stomach. The putrid smell of vomit violated Scully's nostrils.

"I'm sorry about the smell, Scully, but you really can't blame your partner. It's something of a shock. Perhaps you had best sit too." Scully didn't object. Mulder had never looked so ill as he did now. After their years together, she had seen him wearing down with advanced age on one mission, shivering with shock on another, suffering from sleep deprivation, crying over his father's death, shot, attacked by creature and disease, men and monsters, defeat and betrayal, and still none of those ailments had ever produced this absolutely sick appearance that he wore now.

"Mulder, are you alright?" Her partner didn't answer; he dropped to put his head between his knees, gasping to avoid vomiting again. Scully took over and reached out to a fruit bowl at the far end of the table. Emptying it, she placed it under where his head was leaning. "Here. Just in case. Deep breaths, Mulder, try to make them longer until the spasms stop." The Oracle appeared over Scully's shoulder then, replacing her vase on its usual stand.

"Good job, doctor. He may pull through." Scully shrugged off the hand on her shoulder.

"What did you do to him!?! Is this what you wanted?" The Oracle did not answer right away.

"Sit down, Scully. We have so much to talk about."

****************************************

Neurons. Remarkable cells that, like every other cell in the human body, come from the single zygote that forms when an ovum is fertilized. A neuron has the same DNA as every other cell in a given body, but no other cell is quite like it. It transmits impulses as either chemical or electrical change along its length. These impulses are those that tell the body "that's blue" or "that's hot" or "that's smooth." Neurons sending messages are responsible for the ability to know and interact with the environment. When they fire, there is personality, sex drive, and, perhaps most importantly, memory.

If you were to stop a neuron from sending a message, a memory neuron, essentially, memory, as you know it, would not exist. If a connection between neurons was broken, that memory would be destroyed. You could not access it. Alzheimer's disease is just like that, neurons that cannot or will not fire to access memories.

You forget.

You forget.

You forget.

"You forget," Scully whispered, a single tear tracing an arc across her cheek. "You forget," she moaned, covering her own mouth, hoping not to have the same reaction her partner had had.

"The Matrix does it all the time. It's a relatively non-invasive procedure, Scully. Certain enzymes and chemicals that work against the neurotransmitters…well, I know I don't have to tell you, doctor." Mulder leaned over the bowl and dry heaved nothing but saliva and mucus, his stomach being quite empty. For one dizzying instant, Scully wondered and could picture his body in the real world vomiting. _That could kill him; he could choke._

"Mulder, you have to stop that. You could make yourself really sick." Mulder nodded feebly and elevated slowly back to a sitting position. Scully handed him the towel the Oracle had brought over. Inside her mind, Scully was seething with rage at this woman. How dare she do this to them? Who was she to think she could tell them what their future would be?

"You can't make us do anything."

"I never make anyone do anything, Scully. Fate takes care of the stragglers, not me." Scully, assured Mulder was all right, stood to face the woman.

"You can't make this happen. They can't make this happen," Scully gestured wildly out the door to the other rooms, indicating Neo and implicating him and the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar. "They can't force us to go back!"

"They won't force you. You would have come to it anyway, Scully."

"That's not true! We've wanted to know the truth for too long to just give it up!" Somewhere beneath this surface logic, Scully was agreeing with the Oracle. Given time, Mulder or she might have come to the conclusion that they would be most useful by continuing their work on the X-Files. Confronting the issue this way was forcing that logical end to the far side of her mind.

"I don't…I can't do that." Mulder's gasped breaths pained Scully. He needed to know so badly; he'd never wanted anything more than to know. Her own drive, her zeal for the truth was dwarfed by Mulder's. _He may not be able to give it up. Look at him. It's made him physically ill to think about it. But if the time came, could I give up the truth…and could I do it alone if Mulder couldn't come with me?_

"You can always do as you like, Mulder. Fate is relative, according to some. I'd just give the idea careful consideration. The consequences might be worse if you don't go back." _That's a nice way of threatening us._ Scully glowered at the Oracle.

"I can't." Mulder stood for a second before nearly falling back into his chair. Scully's arm steadied him at the last minute. The Oracle smiled, but this time, Scully wasn't angered by it. It was a pitying smile, one of understanding.

"Let's go, Mulder." Her partner could not and did not resist her guiding him out.

"Goodbye, Mulder, Scully. It's too bad we will not get a chance to meet again." That was the goodbye, and then they did not speak as Scully helped Mulder out the door. Neo was sitting now in the living room, dropping the last child clinging to him off in her seat. He looked up, ready to jump all over Scully for her 'revenge,' but any tease died when he saw her supporting Mulder. Immediately, he moved to help, taking Mulder's other arm.

"Jesus, you all right?" Mulder weakly shook his head. "Didn't think so. All done?" Scully answered the question she knew was meant for her with a nod. "Then let's get out of here. I don't have a great record of success for this particular run scenario." Alarm rang out in Scully's mind.

"What does that mean?" Neo shook his head.

"I'll tell you on the way down."

****************************************

_And so he did_, Scully mused in silence. A traitor…that's what had lead to their involvement in this case. That thought absorbed her entire conscious being once it was told. Neo had helped her and Mulder into one car, which he drove. Trinity left with Morpheus ahead of their car. None of this received more than passing note in Scully's mind.

_A traitor. One man, many problems, and now, so many more…for us._ She leaned against the passenger's side window and routed out the sequence over and over. _Cypher betrays them…Morpheus kidnapped…Neo and Trinity's rescue…Neo stuck…shot…dead._ It seemed too simple, something that had never been Scully's problem. Her logical, scientific mind saw many things as simple, as matters of this or that, not of complex, superstitious nonsense or extreme theories. Now she knew, and it was too simple. _I hate my life. _No, that wasn't true. She hated something, what was it? What was making her this upset?

_You have to give it up._ She shook her head. _No. I can't. Mulder said so. He can't, I can't. That's how it works. I can't go back alone, and I can't leave him…I can't forget the truth._ Scully sighed, catching Neo's attention. She waved it off as nothing; he nodded, not pressing her for details. _I can't forge the truth…but I have to._ She hated something. It was her conscience. _I'll never be free of it unless we go back._

"We have to go back."

"Why? Forget you purse?" Neo smiled lightly, trying to lighten her depression. It didn't work, but Scully gave him an appreciative smile.

"I mean you have to make us go back…to those…pods. We have to go back." Neo swerved to avoid a collision as his surprise had led them off course.

"Say what?"

"I don't want to explain it here. Please, just get us out of here." Neo nodded and sped up.

"Done and done." They were all of two minutes behind the other car to start, and they ended reaching the exit ahead of them. Neo was on his cell phone before they stopped, assuring the exit for Mulder first, then Scully, per her instructions. Once Mulder was out and safe, Scully didn't have to worry about him getting sick. When the phone rang again, Neo handed it to her. For a moment, she blanked. What was she supposed to do with this? It was a scratched-up, moldy-colored, cold black piece of metal, attached to the stand-alone booth by a silver cord. They were nowhere Scully knew, and she was not focusing.

"You'll be fine. Take it." Scully refused and hesitated another second.

"What…" she recovered and had to mask that confusion. "What about you?"

"Last one out, my rule. Besides, I have to wait for Trinity and Morpheus. Just go, Scully. No sense in you staying in case there's trouble." Numb, Scully nodded and took the exit. As she woke on the outside, Scully found the mental paralysis translated to a physical paralysis. For a full minute, her muscles refused to let her stand.

Her eyes roamed around the figures of the others. Tank was helping Mulder to the floor, just to sit, before he returned to finish the exits for the others. The others…Morpheus, Neo, Trinity…they were so calm. Soon they'd be outside too, and then she'd have to explain…why the Oracle had made sense…why they had to leave.

_How can I forget these people? This place?_She fingered the axial line Tank had shown her how to remove from her own head. _None of this…I won't remember any of it…_ Mulder, sitting in his spot, looked up at her. His eyes held a confirmation of her own thoughts. To spread the truth, they would have give up the Nebuchadnezzar. They would have give up Morpheus and Neo and Tank and Trinity. They would have to give up the real world.

_To spread the truth, we have to relinquish it._

_ _

End of Chapter 12

Next Installment: The Answer Is Out There: Epilogue


	13. Epilog

The Answer is Out There—Epilog

Author: Meridian

Rating: PG

Comments: Any and all are welcome!

"Skinner wants to see us again, partner." Scully sighed, dropping her forehead into her hands. Again was right. _Stupid assignments_, she groused. Their last one had been the least fun of all. After every single case, especially one where the investigating agents had been found adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, an inquest was assured. _Well, is it our fault our so-called guide dumped us?_

"Coming, Mulder." Scully switched off her computer monitor, leaving the machine in standby. She had collected her jacket and was about to join her partner in the hall when the most annoying sound in the history of creation came from her computer.

"You've got mail!" Mulder raised a quizzical eyebrow, and Scully groaned.

"I wasn't even on the internet, let alone on that grill-cracking, fricking…" Scully trailed off in her Yosemite Sam imitation to turn her monitor back on. The screen fizzled to life, the standby mode obviously not in function when the picture cleared.

"What the…" Mulder walked over to her side to investigate. The screen was black except for a postcard-like image. It was a picture of a baby, a beautiful, chubby cherub with a small cap of dark brown/black hair on its head. Without moving the mouse, a finger, or typing a jot, the image flipped over, completing the postcard with the message on the back.

Her name is Nemesis. 

There was no date, no other words, and no hint as to who had sent this strange e-greeting.

"Who is that from?" Scully nearly smacked her partner. With all his smarts, why couldn't he have overcome this penchant for asking questions she obviously had no answers for?

"I have no idea. What kind of parent would name their kid Nemesis?" Mulder grinned, making a mock-disgusted face. "Or Fox for that matter?" He laughed, shaking his head.

"Ha-ha. Come on, funny girl, let's go face the firing squad." Mulder stood and headed for the door. Scully smiled and moved to switch off the computer once more. As she did so, the image swirled away to a black screen. In the middle, in bright green letters, a message was typed out with invisible fingers.

[Nemesis was her mom's idea. But hey, who in their right mind will argue with a pregnant woman?]

Scully stared at the words on her screen. They disappeared, taking their weak humor with them, humor that was out of place for the complete oddity of their appearance.

[Thanks for your help, Scully. Keep up the good work. Hope to see you and Mulder again some day.]

Silently, Scully watched the computer shut itself off. Somewhere between her desk and reaching the door, she decided not to say a word to Mulder, who had waited outside the door, his back turned.

_Hell, I don't know if even 'Spooky' would believe me._

The End 

(I know, I know…It's about time! I know! *promises never to procrastinate this badly again!*)


End file.
